Corey Payette’s New Musical ON NATIVE LAND to Premiere at The Cultch

Raven Theatre and Urban Ink will present the premiere of ON NATIVE LAND, a new musical by Corey Payette, at the York Theatre in Vancouver from April 8 through April 19, 2026. The production will be staged at The Cultch as part of its programming for the season.

The musical follows three characters—a lawyer, a Chief, and an emerging singer-songwriter—whose lives intersect in a story exploring identity, land, and love within contemporary urban Indigenous communities.

Payette’s score draws from Indigenous musical traditions while incorporating contemporary musical theatre influences. The music is rooted in the rhythmic presence of the drum while blending modern theatrical songwriting with orchestration for a small ensemble.

Corey Payette, an Anishinaabe artist with French Canadian and Irish ancestry, serves as writer, director, composer, and lyricist for the production. He has been the Artistic Director of Urban Ink since 2014 and the Founding Artistic Director of Raven Theatre since 2011. His previous musical works include Children of God, Les Filles du Roi, and Starwalker, all of which premiered at The Cultch.

The creative team includes choreographer Jera Wolfe; musical director and pianist Dean Edward Thiessen; orchestrator and arranger Paul De Gurse; dramaturg Deborah Vogt; scenic designer Alaia Hamer; Costume Designer Stephanie Kong; lighting designer Jonathan Kim; assistant director Danik McAfee; assistant choreographer Nathan Coburn; assistant Costume Designer Halley Fulford; stage manager Melanie Thompson; assistant stage manager Jennifer Wilson; and production manager Nico Dicecco. Producers are Ryan Lino and Fabian Aspell Morales.

The cast features Amanda Trapp, Dustyn Forbes, Hailey Christie-Hoyle, Jacob Woike, Jenna Brown, Jera Wolfe, Jesse Alvarez, Nathan Coburn, Sharon Crandall, Taninli Wright, Wahsontí:io Kirby, and Zac Bellward.

The musicians for the production include Dean Edward Thiessen on piano, Chris Fraser on guitar, Emilio Suarez on cello, and Sarah Ho on violin.

Raven Theatre, founded in 2011 by Payette, is an Indigenous-led performing arts organization based in Vancouver that develops new musicals, concerts, and theatrical works centered on Indigenous stories and perspectives. Urban Ink has spent more than two decades supporting Indigenous and diverse artists through the development of new works across theatre, film, and other media.

The Cultch, established in 1973 and formerly known as the Vancouver East Cultural Centre, operates several performance venues in East Vancouver and presents contemporary works across theatre, dance, music, and visual arts while also serving as a hub for community-based arts programming.