Chan Centre Presents Cliff Cardinal’s Huff: Win Tickets

The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts presents Huff, the boldly conceived, darkly comic tale of three Indigenous brothers caught in a pattern of grief and solvent abuse following the death of their mother. Two performances on October 30th will be held in the Chan Centre’s Telus Studio Theatre as part of the interdisciplinary Beyond Words series.

Cliff Cardinal’s Huff

When: Wednesday October 30, 2019 at 12:00pm & 7:30pm
Where: Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at UBC (6265 Crescent Rd, Vancouver)
Tickets: Available online now for $35 (adults) $15 (students) or by calling (604) 822-2697

In this highly anticipated theatrical return to Vancouver, playwright and performer Cliff Cardinal embodies over a dozen different characters in an unrelenting portrayal described as “stunning” by the Edinburgh Festival, and a “hard-hitting tour-de-force” by The Guardian.

As the story of Huff develops, the brothers’ gas-induced dream world oscillates in and out of reality as they are preyed on by the mythical Trickster in hallways at the old residential school, the abandoned motel they have come to love more than home, and within their own fragile psyches. Though the visceral play is fictional, “It reaches inside and grabs you so hard that you forget it’s make-believe,” (CBC), and its riveting story vividly confronts the devastating, urgent topics of youth suicide, sexual abuse, and the ongoing perseverance of Indigenous communities in the face of incredible adversity.

Huff is directed by Karin Radoja and debuted in 2012 as part of the SummerWorks Festival, where it won the Buddies in Bad Times Award for Risk and Innovation. Huff has completed two national tours and over 200 live performances, including presentations at the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, Magnetic North Theatre Festival, and the High Performance Rodeo, and closed the studio season at Canada’s National Arts Centre in May 2014. Torontoist said “To call this play heartbreaking would be an understatement,” and the Globe and Mail said the “unflinching solo show…will take your breath away.”

Born on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Cliff Cardinal is the son of iconic Canadian actress Tantoo Cardinal. He graduated from the playwriting program at the National Theatre School of Canada. His other plays include Stitch, The Andersons, Sidewalk Chalk (for young audiences), Romanceship, and Maria Gets a New Life.

Cliff Cardinal’s CBC Special—also in partnership with director Karin Radoja— debuted in August 2019. It’s a combination of words and music featuring folk songs, miraculous stories of familial resilience, legends of Turtle Island survival, and new contributions to the ongoing mythology of the Canadian experience. Cardinal is also working on a new solo project, (Everyone I Love Has) A Terrible Fate (Befall Them).

Follow The Chan Centre on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for more information about the Beyond Words series and more upcoming shows. 

Win Tickets

I have a pair of tickets to give away to the 7:30pm performance to give away, here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
• Click below to post an entry on Twitter

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 9:00am on Saturday, October 26, 2019. UPDATE the winner is Wes!