Women of the Fur Trade

Women of the Fur Trade opens at the Neptune Theatre Scotiabank Studio Stage on Tuesday, September 22, and runs through October 11. It's a comedy from the Thousand Islands Playhouse, co-presented here by the Prismatic Arts Festival and Neptune Theatre.

The play is set in the 1800s on the banks of a Reddish River in Treaty One Territory. It follows three very different women who find themselves stuck in a fort, having tea and trading views on life, love, and Louis Riel. There's a bit of a twist to the dialogue: the characters have a preference for 21st-century slang, so they're talking like people from today while sitting in a 19th-century fort. Playwright Frances Koncan shifts the satire away from the usual male gaze on history and onto the power of women and their place in the rapidly changing world of the Canadian fur trade. Neptune's Theatre Voice called it "a resolutely sharp production of biting satire and poignant regret."

It's not all light, though. There's a content advisory you should know about: the show deals with colonial violence, misogyny, and racism, and contains strong language, loud noises, and gunshots. The run also includes a masked performance, a relaxed performance, and a talkback, so there are a few different ways to see it depending on what you're looking for.

On the practical side, the show runs from September 22 to October 11. Weeknight performances are at 7:30 pm, and on weekends there's a 2:00 pm matinee alongside the 7:30 pm show. Tickets go for C$29 to C$49, and you can find the Scotiabank Studio Stage at 1593 Argyle Street in Halifax.