May’s Script of the Month, as selected by the WGC Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) Committee, is Muskrat Falls— a comedy written by T’áncháy Redvers. In Muskrat Falls, a fly-in community nestled in the isolated sub-Arctic of the Canadian North, food prices are too high and so are the adults; there is nothing for kids to do; and somehow only the Church gets access to youth programming dollars. But when keen and quirky two-spirit urban graduate, Georgie, takes the job as “Youth & Recreation Manager,” they attempt to breathe life and resources back into the neglected local youth centre while realizing that gaining the trust of the community is harder done than said.
T’áncháy is a Dene & Métis non-binary writer, creator, oral storyteller, and multidisciplinary performer belonging to Deninu K’ue First Nation. They are a published poet, children’s book author and screenwriter who has story edited and written for shows airing on Netflix, The CW, Apple TV+ and PBS Kids. In addition to the over hundred talks, workshops and panels they’ve delivered across North America and beyond, they are a performance artist, audio narrator and actor with performances and credits spanning CBC Gem, Paramount+, Penguin Random House, and more.
“What was special about working with T’áncháy is their writing is full of love for community,” says WGC member Amber Sekowan-Daniels, who worked with T’áncháy to polish the script. “Muskrat Falls is a show that is grounded, authentic, the kind of comedy that is both hilarious and healing.”
“I aspire to create timely, thoughtful and entertaining content that can be impactful for a wide audience,” says T’áncháy. “I believe in the power of authentic characters and representation to shed light on important and under-explored themes and stories. Muskrat Falls is a love letter to my younger self and the hundreds of Indigenous youth I have come to know, who want to believe in and advocate for the future of our communities while having some good belly laughs along the way. I hope you see the value in these special characters, and the value of having someone like myself in the writing room.”
Congratulations, T’áncháy!
