Storytelling
Emerging Playwright | Writer
Nova’s writing is poetic and profoundly layered, weaving together diverse themes and ideas in ways that are both thought-provoking and richly interconnected. Her capacity to distill vast complexities and uncover connections across diverse subjects enables her to create narratives that are intricately woven and profoundly illuminating.
Grounded in her identity and shaped by the interwoven legacies of triumphs and loss, as an Anishinaabekwe, Nova’s writing reflects a profound empathy for those navigating struggle and achievements.
Her work spans theatre, television, and live performance, with each medium carrying the weight of lived experience and a deeply human understanding of resilience, vulnerability, and connection. Through her innate ability to see and expand on connections, she delivers stories that touch audiences deeply, bridging shared human experiences with intellectual and emotional depth.
Nova’s projects include her full-length play Waawaashkeshiwag Wabano, a commissioned short play for youth with Boca del Lupo titled Dewe'igan Club, writing credits for Season 4 of APTN’s Michif Country, a written festival performance score for with Green Kids Inc. titled Niin Anishinaabekwe, and workshop writing with Echo Theatre.
She is also seeking opportunities to expand into film writing and more creative TV projects, bringing her distinctive voice to new mediums.
Discover how Nova’s poetic and rich approach to storytelling can bring depth and originality to your project.
Creative Writing Samples
Explore Nova’s diverse and dynamic body of work through excerpts from her creative writing projects. Each piece reflects her unique voice, grounded in Indigenous perspectives and storytelling traditions, while pushing the boundaries of narrative and form.
Waawaashkeshkiwag Wabano Play
In the tales before humankind, as stories traveled on breath and wind, the animals of Anishinaabe creation held lessons of reciprocity and honor. They walked the world as caretakers and stewards, gathering in councils to deliberate resource sharing for the arrival of the two-legged. Creator called on the four-legged, winged, swimmers, and flyers to help humankind when they arrived on Turtle Island.
Set against poetic descriptions of Manitoba’s landscapes, Waawaashkeshiwag Wabano explores gender and obligation through Noozhe, a protagonist bound by an instinctive cycle older than memory. Like the two-legged, the deer’s actions are threads in a vast, unspoken web, neither greater nor lesser, part of the same relentless rhythm of existence.
In the rut, the deer are swept into a frenzy as the light fades on the horizon. Consumed by instinct, the herd navigates the inseparable cycle of life and death, gathering in council to survive the fray.
Currently in development, Waawaashkeshiwag Wabano features dialogue as sharp as a prairie wind and grotesque, visceral choreography that exposes the duality of instinct. Macabre set and costume designs are envisioned, adding to the work’s powerful imagery.
Nova Courchene draws inspiration for this piece from her time at an Ojibwe immersion camp in Winnipeg, alongside her reflections on gender divides, societal roles, and her own familial history.
Multidisciplinary Theatre Piece
Photo credits for NEPA Photography: Kate Dalton
Photo Gallery
Development Timeline
Pimootayowin: A Festival of New Work, September 27 – October 1, 2022
Pimootayowin is an annual festival in Winnipeg that presents new works by Indigenous playwrights, fostering the development of Indigenous voices in theatre.
Cast:
Michael Lawrenchuk
Tracey Neepinak
Darla Contois
Braiden Houle
Joshua Ranville
Director: Charlene Van Buekenhout
Hosted by Native Earth Performing Arts, this annual development festival in Toronto showcases new Indigenous works in theatre, dance, and multidisciplinary arts.
Weesageechak Begins to Dance 36, November 6 – 19, 2023
Creator: Nova Courchene
Mentor: Carmen Alvis
Performers:
Tavia Christina
Richard Comeau
Katia Ferderber
Philip Geller
Tyler J Sloane
Montana Summers
John Wamsley
Kiyanaan Indigenous Theatre Festival, January 18 – 19, 2025
Kiyanaan is dedicated to bringing Indigenous theatre to the stage, offering production support to First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and Indigenous artists.
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Choreographer: Waawaate Fobister
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Open Rehearsal Viewing:
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Date: Sunday, January 19
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Time: 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
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Description: Audiences are invited to witness a movement rehearsal with performers and the choreographer, providing insight into the creative process of Waawaashkeshiwag-Wabano.
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Photo Gallery
Set Pieces Designed by Nova Courchene
Niin Anishinaabekwe, movement performance
Bikes & Circuses, Presented by Green Kids Inc., August 7 - 11, 2023
Bike and Circuses is an innovative outdoor performance event held in Winnipeg's Whittier Park, blending theatre, dance, music, and circus arts to promote environmental awareness and active transportation. Presented by Green Kids Inc., the festival encourages audiences to engage with performances while biking, walking, or rolling through the park, emphasizing eco-friendly practices and community engagement.
Created and Directed by Nova Courchene
Performed by:
Kathleen Starr
Clown Coach:
Cynthia Wolf-Nolin
Costume Design by:
Amy McPherson
Medicine Person & Traditional Teacher:
Shirli Ewanchuk
Join Bae (short for Ah-nish-eh-nah-Bae) on a brief adventure in her daily urban life. Bae, an Ojibwe woman and "Contrary" (a ceremonial role as a mirror and teacher to society), navigates her day and suddenly finds herself stranded. This piece reflects the predicaments Urban Indigenous folks face, using humor and clownery to grapple with lack of access to traditional territories, knowledge and connections to land. It deals with themes such as how resilient Urban Indigenous folks are and explores how easily blood memory is reignited through reconnection to the land, honouring reciprocity, inherited traditional knowledge, food security and land stewardship.
Quote: "The land knows you, even when you are lost." - Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
Photo Gallery
Dewe'igan Club (Drum Club), short play script
Dewe’igan Club, Presented by Plays2Perform, 2024
Dewe’igan Club, written by Nova Courchene, is a powerful short play featured in Boca del Lupo’s Plays2Perform: Young Peoples Edition. This collection of plays is designed to inspire young people to engage in live, collaborative storytelling, blending playfulness and creative exploration.
Written by Nova Courchene
Description
In Dewe’igan Club (hand drum making club), two Indigenous teens, Caleb and Delaney, navigate the challenges of life in their tight-knit community, where housing crises and family struggles weigh heavily on their young shoulders. Set in a gymnasium used for cultural programming, the play explores themes of resilience, belonging, and the deep bonds of friendship as Caleb and Delaney dream of brighter futures despite their fractured realities. Through humor, heartfelt dialogue, and moments of tension, the play captures the complexities of growing up Indigenous in a modern yet traditional world.
Partner Organizations
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Geordie Theatre (Montreal QC)
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Roseneath Theatre (Toronto ON)
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Manitoba Theatre for Young People (Winnipeg MB)
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Vancouver International Children’s Festival (Vancouver BC)
**Warning: This play deals with child apprehension, addiction, and explicit language.**
All digital artwork by Nova Courchene
© Nova-Jean Rose Courchene