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For immediate release Monday March 31, 2008 After 9 years of working tirelessly to bring Aboriginal Women's voices to the stage, Turtle Gals Performance Ensemble is winding down its operations in order to support the creative and personal endeavors of its individual members. We are committed to the completion of our current season which includes our lecture presentation series as well as support for the Native Earth Performing Arts provincial tour of our script The Triple Truth. This decision, approved by the Board of Directors, follows the resignation of Co-Managing Artistic Director/Co-Founder Michelle St. John and Associate Artist Falen Johnson, who along with remaining ensemble members Jani Lauzon and Cheri Maracle have had increasing difficulty keeping up with administration and artistic demands while also sustaining the solo careers that are necessary to support them. Founded in 1999 by Jani Lauzon, Monique Mojica, and Michelle St. John, Turtle Gals Performance Ensemble grew exponentially, creating several award winning productions such as The Scrubbing Project, The Triple Truth and the recently acclaimed The Only Good Indian… Equally important was their presence at conferences, festivals and Universities where they conducted workshops, participated in advisory councils and sang their repertoire of moving and satirical compositions. Over the years, Turtle Gals Performance Ensemble has had the pleasure of working with a plethora of extraordinary artists. Muriel Miguel, Michael Greyeyes, Yvette Nolan, Kate Lushington, Jill Carter, Guillermo Gómez-Peña, Erika Iserhoff, Tim Matheson and Sandra Laronde to name a few. We would like to acknowledge the support of these artists who, along with the Ensemble members, helped Turtle Gals establish a national and international reputation as well as outreach to our own communities. The company will be missed, but its members, past and present, will carry on its tradition of creating and performing edgy, funny, and politically important work to both the Aboriginal and wider communities. Turtle Gals Performance Ensemble especially wishes to thank its funders, volunteers, staff and all those who have been involved with and supported the organization in the past. Contact: Heather Allin P.O. Box 72087 |