A conversation with Indigenous storyteller and musician Corey Payette.

Location: Room C400, UBC Robson Square

Type: Panel, Indigenous Curator Program

Moderator: Frances Koncan, Guest Indigenous Curator, Space Girl: A Cosmic Comedy (Talonbooks)

Reader: Corey Payette, Starwalker (J. Gordon Shillingford Publishing)

About The Moderator

Frances Koncan

Frances Koncan (she/they) is an Anishinaabe and Slovene playwright currently living in Vancouver, British Columbia. Originally from Couchiching First Nation, they grew up on Treaty 1 territory in Winnipeg, Manitoba and attended the University of Manitoba (BA Psychology) and the City University of New York Brooklyn College (MFA Playwriting). Their plays have been presented at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, the National Arts Centre, the Stratford Festival, and more. They are an Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia. Published plays include Women of the Fur Trade, zahgidiwin/love, and Space Girl (upcoming on September 15th!)

About The Reader

Corey Payette

Corey Payette is an interdisciplinary storyteller, writer, composer, singer, hand drummer, and director in music, theatre, and film. He is Anishinaabe (Mattagami First Nations), with French Canadian and Irish ancestry. He is the Artistic Director of Urban Ink, founding Artistic Director of Raven Theatre, and past artist-in residence with English Theatre at the National Arts Centre. His musicals Children of God, Les Filles du Roi, Sedna, Starwalker, and On Native Land have won multiple awards and been shared across Canada and those musical albums are available to stream and purchase online. As a filmmaker, he’s adapted Les Filles du Roi (2023) and Starwalker (2025) into musical feature films that have screened at over 25 film festivals around the world and won multiple awards. His next musical Monarch has been commissioned by the Stratford Festival, he’s adapting Children of God into a feature film, and is composing his first full-length symphony commissioned by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. He’s also performed his music in concerts around the world, most notably with the National Arts Centre Orchestra and at Carnegie Hall in New York City. He is the recipient of the John Hirsch Prize for Direction (Canada Council), 4 Ovation Awards, 2 Jessie Awards, a Leo Award, and the inaugural BC Award for Reconciliation. coreypayette.com