Overview
Synopsis
Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing is a tragi-comedy that centers around a group of men on the Wasaychigan Hill Indian Reserve. When the women of the reservation decide to create a female hockey league, all the men of the reservation band together to protest. Seeing the formation of this all-women’s league as another attack of their identity, Dry Lips asks what it means to identify as an Indigenous man. Exploring themes of misogyny, spirituality, and identity, Tomson Highway’s play quickly turns from a farce to a tragedy as the fantasies and phobias of the men are acted out.
This show is a companion piece to Highway’s play, The Rez Sisters (1986). Although primarily written in English, there are interjections of Cree and Ojibway, two Indigenous languages of the Manitoulin Island reservations, where the story takes place.
Show Information
- Book
- Tomson Highway
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Mature Audiences (M)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 1989
- Genres
- Drama, Comedy, Dark Comedy
- Settings
- Contemporary, Multiple Settings
- Time & Place
- Between Saturday, February 3, 1990, 11 p.m., and Saturday, February 10, 1990, 11 a.m., Wasaychigan Hill Indian Reserve, Manitoulin Island, Ontario
- Cast Size
- medium
- Ideal For
- Mostly Male Cast, Diverse Cast, Ensemble Cast, Mature Audiences, Star Vehicle Male, Regional Theatre, Professional Theatre, Includes Adult, Young Adult, Late Teen Characters, Medium Cast
Context
Plot
Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Nanabush/Gazelle/ Patsy Pegahmagahbow/Black Lady Halked/Hera Keechigeesik |
Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
Inhabiting or existing in a land from the earliest times or from before the arrival of colonists.
A series of events in a performance or piece of literature that are a dream experienced by one of the characters.
Term used to describe Indigenous peoples in Canada who are not Métis or Inuit.
Originating or occurring naturally in a particular place.
Dislike of and prejudice against women.
Stories from ancient cultures about divine figures and supernatural events, often considered as a combination of literature, science, history, and religion
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Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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Guide Written By:
Emma Houlahan
Canadian vocalist and actor now based in London.