Tarragon Theatre to Stage STRIFE This April

 Tarragon Theatre's Artistic Director, Mike Payette and Executive Director Lisa Li, alongside Punctuate! Theatre's Artistic Director Matthew MacKenzie, have announced the World Premiere of Strife, A Punctuate! Theatre Production in Association with Tarragon Theatre. Written by Matthew MacKenzie, Strife plays in Tarragon's Extraspace from April 7 - 26, 2026. 

In the aftermath of the death of Nathan, an Indigenous climate activist, Strife asks: who has the authority to speak for him now that he's gone? Monique and Eddy, Nathan's sister and brother-in-law, work in the oil patch. Sarah, Nathan's partner, is an activist protesting for climate justice.  Eleanor, Nathan's mentor, lectures on Indigenous rights and histories. All of them loved Nathan. But who can — and who should —  speak for him after he's gone?

From the acclaimed voice behind Bears and First Métis Man of Odesa, two time Dora-winner Matthew MacKenzie (Métis) returns with Strife, a bold new work that deepens Punctuate! Theatre's commitment to exploring urgent Indigenous stories and how we think about identity. MacKenzie notes, “We live in fraught times, on the global stage and within communities, that lead us to attack the ambiguous and dismiss nuance when it comes to understanding Identity. In sharing the story of Strife, my hope is that deepening conversations about that which divides us can lead to real progress”

Led by celebrated director Yvette Nolan (Algonquin) and performed by an all star cast of Indigenous artists, Strife confronts the fault lines of identity, power, who has the right to speak for whom — and why. In a world fractured by politics, privilege and misrepresentations of true knowledge, Strife challenges audiences to consider whether academic expertise grants the authority of a Knowledge Keeper, whether lived experience is essential to identity, and why we so often reduce complex identities, particularly within Indigenous communities, to a monolith. 

Provocative and unflinching, Strife sparks the conversations we're often too afraid to have. 

“I've been a huge fan of Matt MacKenzie and the work Punctuate! Theatre has brought to audiences all over the country for years,” notes Artistic Director Mike Payette. He continues “Matt's unique, enriching gifts as a storyteller invite audiences to be immersed in stories of deep humanity and shared community while bringing excellent theatricality to a heightened drama. It's a pleasure to welcome him and his team to our theatre in their Tarragon debut and I look forward to sharing yet another Punctuate! Masterwork.”

Strife is written by Matthew MacKenzie (Métis) (Bears, First Métis Man of Odesa). With performances by Jesse Gervais (Cree/Métis) (Tarragon debut, After the Fire/Punctuate!), Grace Lamarche (Cree/Métis) (Tarragon & Punctuate! debut, Women of the Fur Trade/Magnus Theatre), Tracey Nepinak (Cree) (Tarragon debut, Bears/Punctuate!), Valerie Planche (Métis) (Tarragon & Punctuate! debut, Where the Blood Mixes/Soulpepper), Michaela Washburn (Cree/Métis) (Guarded Girls/Tarragon, Takwahiminana/Punctuate!), Teneil Whiskeyjack (Cree) (Tarragon debut, Bear Grease/LightningCloud). Strife is directed by Yvette Nolan (Algonquin) (Women of the Fur Trade/Stratford).

Strife had several workshops and community consultations in Amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton), at the Jim Omeasoo Cultural Centre in Maskwacîs, Alberta and in Aanmitaagzi's Big Medicine Studio in Lake Nipissing First Nation, Ontario. Punctuate! Theatre's Resident Elder, Jo-Ann Saddleback, has helped guide the project throughout its development. The World Premiere of Strife is at Tarragon from April 7 - 26, 2026, opening April 9 & 10.