Imagining the significance of the hour before Treaty Six was signed, playwright and MacEwan alum, Josh Languedoc Bachelor of Arts, Sociology Honours ‘10, set out to examine what that fateful evening in 1867 may have been like for individual Nehiyaw (Cree) and French Catholics. 

Retold as a treaty version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Languedoc’s new play Civil Blood: A Treaty Story offers an entirely new way to experience theatre. When audience members arrive at Fort Edmonton Park, they are split into either Niheyaw or French Catholic groups. “They walk through the fort as the play unfolds very intimately from that singular side of the story,” says Languedoc, who created the play with director, Neil Kuefler. 

As an artist, teacher and sociologist, Languedoc is interested in using theatre to challenge social structures. For the 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient, sociology and theatre naturally speak to one another.

Languedoc, who has been participating in theatre since childhood, says that learning about sociology, research, critical thought and theory at MacEwan sparked a passion within him. “Sociology broke open the world. I finally found this discipline that echoes how I think.” 

After MacEwan, Languedoc earned an education degree and a Master of Fine Art in Theatre Practices from the University of Alberta. He uses the observational skills he developed during his sociology studies in his work as a playwright and director – especially in his daily work teaching theatre workshops to children.  

Through his involvement in programs like the Citadel’s Foote Theatre School – where he has served as co-chair of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee – and Braided Journeys, Languedoc cultivates a theatre community where everyone’s voice is heard.

Languedoc, who has written numerous other works including IN-COR-RI-GI-BLE: The Legend of Thundervoice and Rocko and Nakota: Tales from the Land, was often the only Indigenous person in his theatre programs as a kid. 

“It was a lonely place – to be learning theatre from a very Eurocentric upper-white-class lens,” says the Saugeen First Nation member. “I found myself very alone and often had to assimilate or silence parts of me just to fit in. I’m trying to show kids – Indigenous kids in particular – that if you have an artistic interest, your voice belongs here.”

The former director of Indigenous Strategic Planning for the Fringe Theatre says he feels a responsibility to foster mentorship in the broader Indigenous arts community. “Our ancestors and our mentors in this physical realm have stomped the road down a bit for people like me,” he says. Now, Languedoc is continuing to pave the way so it will be a little clearer for the next generation.

“When I see the shy kids taking risks and making big strides, I always celebrate that loud and proud because that's the kind of attention children like that need,” he says. “It’s certainly the attention I needed.”

Catch Civil Blood: A Treaty Story at Fort Edmonton Park from July 24 through August 4.