Niagara play Métis Nutcracker tells parallel stories of colonization and war in Ukraine

When the Métis Nutcracker opens this weekend in St. Catharines, Ont., playwright Matthew MacKenzie hopes the audience will get swept away in the magical realism of the show – while also learning about colonialism, the war in Ukraine and the cultures of several Indigenous communities from Turtle Island.

The play, intended for children and families, runs Friday through Sunday at Brock University’s Marilyn I. Walker Theatre , in addition to two sold-out school-day shows this week.

In the world MacKenzie created, two children come to Turtle Island, or North America, to escape the buffoonish villain The Rat King, who has invaded their pine forest.

They are led by the Métis Nutcracker on a journey discovering the communities, creatures and plants who inhabit their new land, with Métis