The Breathing Hole
The Stratford Festival
Written by Colleen Murphy and directed by Reneltta Arluk, The Breathing Hole is part of the 65th season of the Stratford Festival. Running just over two and a half hours, the play follows a polar bear named Angu’juaq from cub to death at a single breathing hole in the Kitikmeot Region (Central Arctic) of Nunavut. The bear is brought to life, first as a hand puppet then as a life-sized costume. Over the course of his 500-year life, he is adopted by an elderly Inuk widow, grows to find a mate, meets the British Franklin Expedition and bumps into science researchers and oil drill security personnel. The final scene projects a New Year’s cruise ship where passengers behave carelessly to the dire consequences of climate change; Angu’juaq is by this stage grey, haggard and desperate. Arluk is the first Indigenous director at the Festival and took great consideration to present cultural authenticity. From the earliest phases of pre-production (which included extensive consultations) to the actors on stage the production is bolstered by Inuit input. Over the course of several months, Arluk worked with and consulted numerous Inuit cultural producers. Inuit dramaturgy and cultural knowledge support was provided by Siobhan Arnatsiaq-Murphy, Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory, Miali Buscemi, Mary Itorcheak, Vinnie Karetak, Alika Komangapik and Annabella Piugattuk. Specialized consultation of Inuktut was overseen by Arnaoyok Alookee and Kevin Eetoolook, with Inuit props guided by Koomuatuk Curley, Inuit costume consulting by Beatrice Deer and Inuit make-up and tattoo design by Lucy Tulugarjuk. The benefits of this involvement are apparent from the earliest scenes, which heavily feature Inuit characters and notable costumes and make-up that engage the audience with more subtle yet practical Inuit cultural qualities, such as food-sharing and consensus decision-making. The small 251-seat theatre allows for close viewing of the actors and the transformative set, the focal point of which is the breathing hole itself, delineated first by “ice blocks” and later as a void in the stage’s
surface. For the duration of the show, it functions variously as a gathering point, a seal hunting post for both humans and bears, a flag holder and marker lost to sea ice melt, an oil drilling perimeter line and ultimately a final resting spot. The show stars Canadian Inuit actors Miali Buscemi and Johnny Issaluk, and Greenlandic actor Ujarneq Fleischer. Issaluk first appears as Nukilik, an Inuit hunter reluctant to adopt a bear cub and then downtrodden to be reliant on the bear’s hunting skills. In later scenes, Issaluk becomes Totalik, an oil platform security guard, who now relies on the wage economy. Issaluk’s character arc is a powerful comment on the perceived loss of self-reliance in Inuit society. The large cast of supporting characters provided astute snapshots of society, both colonial and Indigenous. Sir John Franklin, in particular, is presented as fresh and appealing unlike his usual obstinate character. Although the central themes of culture clash and climate change are sobering, it is the humour that is woven throughout that lingers. The entertaining storytelling by the exaggerated but loveable Inuit hunters creates a welcoming sense of community while the mishmash of British explorers serving tea and dancing on the slippery ice is charming. When the cultures meet, the language barrier is navigated with penis jokes. There are even light-hearted moments through to the dire final tableau, a powerful and striking image to walk away with. Most notably, The Breathing Hole takes an important step forward in the public portrayal of Inuit and succeeds in both inviting audiences in while also granting Inuit characters deep emotion and complexity.