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TORONTO — Stories of Indigenous women’s successes and struggles will be spotlighted in the inaugural season of the National Arts Centre’s Indigenous Theatre.

From the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls to an uplifting tale of a young boy whose mother’s presence helps begin a spiritual journey, the season unveiled on Tuesday promises a diverse slate of theatre, plus concerts by Buffy Sainte-Marie and Susan Aglukark.

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Of the 11 productions in the 2019-2020 season, nine are written and created by women, said artistic director Kevin Loring. Stories will also be presented in English, French and more than 10 Indigenous languages.

Representing an array of communities onstage was a considerable responsibility for the first national Indigenous theatre in the world, Loring acknowledged in an interview.

“You have to encapsulate an incredibly wide variety of different cultures, perspectives and ways of doing things,” the award-winning playwright said, adding the stories and creators span many coasts, from the Pacific to the Atlantic, the Arctic and even Australia.