Gordon Winter is an RCMP hero, a life-long champion of First Nations rights, and a bigot. He’s challenging the next generation of chiefs to stand up to the federal government when he spews a Nazi-inspired racist and homophobic rant. Suddenly, one of the most revered First Nations leaders is now one of the most reviled human beings in Canada. While most want to consign Winter to the dustbin of history, some are quick to defend a man who did so much good in his life. Questions get asked: how should society respond to such outrageous comments from a prominent and public figure? Is it right to condemn a man based on just one moment of his life? Where did these convictions come from?
News & Reviews
“That racism is hateful, corrosive and self-perpetuating is hardly news. A play which captures that self-evident truth in fresh, robust and frequently funny fashion, however, is something unexpected. That’s especially so when the play poses difficult questions about the complexity of a man’s heart, our rush to judge what’s there, and the extent of our own, unspoken prejudices. Gordon Winter by Kenneth T. Williams does all these things.” —Ottawa Citizen
About the Author
Kenneth T. Williams is a Cree playwright, filmmaker and journalist from the George Gordon First Nation in Saskatchewan. His plays Cafe Daughter, Thunderstick, Bannock Republic, Suicide Notes, Gordon Winter, In Care, Three Little Birds and The Herd have been professionally produced across Canada. Ken teaches at the University of Alberta, where he was the first Indigenous writer to earn an MFA in playwriting. He resides in Edmonton.
