One of the longest Yellowknife power outages in decades caused the cancellation of a travelling musical about residential schools that had been booked for just one night.
Children of God, by Corey Payette, had been due to start at the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre at 7:30pm.
Shortly before 7pm, with no power since 3pm, organizers made the decision to cancel.
“In my 14 years at NACC, this is the very first time something like that has happened,” said Marie Coderre, the centre’s executive and artistic director, moments after the show was called off.
“It is heartbreaking to see. So many people put so much work into this important work, important play.”
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The show – which involves a touring production company and cast members from across the country, some of whom have to leave on Sunday – was sold out. Ticket-holders will be contacted about refunds.
Coderre said her sorrow at the cancellation was compounded by the knowledge that Children of God was already supposed to have played in Yellowknife once, in 2020, but had to be scrapped that year when the pandemic hit.
“I was so happy that this big production was coming in 2025. It’s shocking. I don’t know what to say,” she told Cabin Radio.
“The tech team have been working on it for days. The crew have been rehearsing and touring and put so much work into it. My colleagues have been putting so much work into it.
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“This was one of my highlights this year so personally, as the programmer, it’s a disaster.”
More: Read our interview with the musical’s creator
Shows at NACC by no means always run smoothly. Organizers have dealt with all manner of incidents before, the most recent example being a flight delay that required a show by Old Man Luedecke be pushed back by one hour.
But Coderre said no power outage this long – nor any other external factor – had ever previously forced an outright cancellation like this.
Asked what the financial implications would be, she said: “I don’t even want to think about it.”
She said both the production company and NACC would be “losing on the financial side, big time,” but the loss of the show felt to her like it was bigger than that.
“It’s not an easy time for NACC post-pandemic but it’s more about the importance of presenting a work like this in Yellowknife. That was the most important part,” she said.
“This is the second time that there’s a situation out of our control. The pandemic the first time, and now this. It’s very, very frustrating.”
