Premiere Announced of New Musical LES FILLES DU ROI

From the creators of the ground breaking hit, Children of God, Urban Ink is excited to present the world premiere of a cutting-edge new Canadian musical, Les Filles du Roi (The King's Daughters) by Corey Payette and Julie McIsaac at the York Theatre from May 15 - 27, 2018. Written in English, French and Kanien'kéha (Mohawk), Payette and McIsaac have once again created an innovative, dynamic and profound work you won't want to miss.

The powerful story of a young Mohawk girl, Kateri, and her brother Jean-Baptiste whose lives are disrupted upon the arrival of les filles du roi in 'New France' (now Montreal) in 1665. They forge an unlikely relationship with young fille Marie-Jean Lespérance - whose dream of a new life is more complicated than she could have imagined.

How did les filles handle being in this new world? They were sent over to marry French settlers, but this wasn't always what happened. For survival, some lived among the Indigenous people, finding the adjustment difficult, especially without acceptance of different people, beliefs, customs and culture. Over the course of a year, Mohawk, French, and English journeys collide, setting the stage for the Canada we know today.

Corey Payette and Julie McIssac are the dynamic duo that co-wrote the book/lyrics of this thought provoking work, with McIsaac starring as the young fille role. Audiences will remember Payette's sweeping musical scores from last season's sell-out success Children of God. Payette is once again composer, and director of the production. His music connects the heartbeat of the drum and the soaring voices of our female ancestors in a thrilling contemporary score, weaving three languages and evoking the beauty of Canada's most stunning landscapes.

While Canada has a way of sweeping shameful aspects of its history under the rug, Payette and McIsaac wrote Les Filles du Roi as a way of exploring an old story through new eyes, a fresh perspective that acknowledges where we are today. In Corey's words, "Les Filles du Roi began as a journey to uncover lost histories, because the settler perspective is so present in our modern day, but Indigenous communities have undocumented oral histories. We worked with Indigenous community out east in Akwesasne, to begin to trace a broader history, one that includes our Indigenous perspective, in order to share a fuller picture of this complex history."

McIsaac adds: "we see this history play out in Kateri's story, in her journey and relationship with Marie Jeanne. The centrality of the young women is something I'm very passionate about. To have their voices and experiences at the fore, indigenizing and feminizing the patriarchal colonial narrative of this dynamic, problematic time in our nation's history; that's the goal."

The stage will be electrifying with 15 performers onstage with a cast that includes Kaitlyn Yott, Julie McIsaac, Raes Calvert, and Laura Di Cicco, with a women's chorus along with four musicians (piano, violin, viola, cello).

Les Filles du Roi (The King's Daughters) is deeply moving and unique work; a perfect vehicle to uncover a perspective different from the one told by Settler culture, one that redefines the Canadian narrative. If you loved Children of God, you won't want to miss this new work, playing for a limited run.

About Les Filles du Roi - Creative Team

Music by Corey Payette, Co-book/lyrics by Corey Payette and Julie McIsaac

Directed by Corey Payette

Production Design: Marshall McMahen

Featuring: Kaitlyn Yott, Julie McIsaac, Raes Calvert, Laura Di Cicco

Musical Directed by: Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa

Orchestrated by: Elliot Vaughan

Movement Direction by: Patrice Bowler

Lighting design: Jeff Harrison

Production managed: Adrian Muir

Running time - 90 minutes no intermission