Corey Payette

On Native Land, A New Musical from Corey Payette. A lawyer, a Chief, and a rising singer-songwriter—whose paths converge in a powerful tale of identity, land, and love. Enjoy the show trailer for On Native Land on stage NOW at the York Theatre in Vancouver! There are only 5 performances left for what has been described as " one of the most beautiful productions ever to grace the York Theatre stage" (Jo Ledingham), you can get those last tickets from the link in our bio 🪶 On Native Land, a musical written and directed by Corey Payette, Set Design Alaia Hamer, Costume Design Stephanie Kong, Lighting Design Jonathan Kim, a Raven Theatre and Urban Ink co-production, presented by The Cultch. Actors: Amanda Trapp, Dustyn Forbes, Hailey Christie-Hoyle, Jacob Woike, Jenna Brown, Jera Wolfe, Jesse Alvarez, Nathan Coburn, Sharon Crandall, Taninli Wright, Wahsontí:io Kirby, Zac Bellward.

💫 OFFICIAL TRAILER for STARWALKER 💫 Star, an Indigi-Queer Two-Spirit lonesome call boy, has become newly entranced by The House of Borealis, a popular drag house in East Vancouver. Blending drag with their grounded cultural spirit, a new, powerful persona emerges on stage: Starwalker. Starwalker, a new musical film by @coreypayette Starring @dillychibz @jeffreymichaelfollis @smckensy @jessejossef @jasonsakaki @connorparnall @ralphescamillan @august_isover Original Music & lyrics by @coreypayette Producers @coreypayette @fabiaspellmorales Executive Producers @coreypayette @melissajtsang Directors of Photography @ian.mroz @parhamshay Production Designer @annashearingdesign Costume Designer @alaiahamer Editor @christiandd8 Choreography @ralphescamillan 1st AD @epptri Gaffer @krystal.chn Hair & Makeup @victoriadoingmakeup @facesbybrandon @lbmb.artistry @devonbreeperez Sound Mix @wesswales 708 Sound Studio An @urbaninkvan Production #starwalkerfilm

We are excited to announce the international premiere of the film Les Filles du Roi at the Rhode Island International Film Festival on August 10, 2023! @flickers.riiff Now in its 27th year, the Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival has become a leading juried competition showcase for international independent filmmakers and their work. Adapted from the award-winning musical by Corey Payette and Julie McIsaac, Les Filles du Roi (The King’s Daughters) tells the powerful story of a young girl, Kateri and her brother Jean-Baptiste whose lives are disrupted upon the arrival of les filles du roi in ‘New France’ (now Montreal) in 1665. They forge an unlikely relationship with the young fille Marie-Jean Lespérance - whose dream of a new life is more complicated than she could have imagined. Over the course of a year, Mohawk, French and English journeys collide, setting the stage for the Canada we know today. Video Credit: Les Filles du Roi, a musical film by Corey Payette, screenplay adapted by Corey Payette & Julie McIsaac. Directed by Corey Payette, Production Design by Anna Shearing, Directors of Photography Ian Mrozewski & Parham Banafsheh. Produced by Urban Ink, Raven Theatre, and The Cultch. Actors: Kaitlyn Yott, Julie McIsaac, Raes Calvert, and Chelsea Rose. urbanink.ca

After 12 years of visionary leadership, Corey Payette will conclude his tenure as Artistic Director of Urban Ink in October 2026. Corey’s time with the company has helped shape Urban Ink into a nationally recognized platform for Indigenous and culturally diverse performance. As he transitions from the role, Corey will focus on composing, directing, and developing new work across theatre, music, and film. Urban Ink will begin a national search for its next Artistic Director in the coming months.

What an incredible journey it has been. As we look back on the final performance of Corey Payette’s powerful new musical, On Native Land, we at Urban Ink want to express our deepest gratitude to everyone who joined us at the York Theatre. Thank you for coming out, sharing in this world premiere, and engaging so deeply with these vital stories of identity and connection to land. We also want to celebrate the remarkable creative team and artists, from the visionary story and music by Corey Payette, to the beautiful design, to the stunning performances by our cast and musicians. This production was made possible through the collaboration of Raven Theatre, The Cultch, and every individual who poured their heart into bringing this vision to the stage over the last 7 years of development. Tell us in the comments what you enjoyed most about On Native Land, we’d love to hear from you! Thank you for being part of this story. We look forward to seeing you at our next production 🪶 Photo credits: On Native Land a musical written and directed by Corey Payette, Set Design Alaia Hamer, Costume Design Stephanie Kong, Lighting Design Jonathan Kim, Produced by Raven Theatre and Urban Ink presented by The Cultch, Actors: Amanda Trapp, Dustyn Forbes, Hailey Christie-Hoyle, Jacob Woike, Jenna Brown, Jera Wolfe, Jesse Alvarez, Nathan Coburn, Sharon Crandall, Taninli Wright, Wahsontí:io Kirby, Zac Bellward. Photos by David Cooper.

An emotional curtain call for On Native Land’s final performance 🥹 Thank you to every audience member who came and experienced the incredible artistry displayed by our creative team, musicians, and this CAST! We’re so grateful to this beautiful company of storytellers for bringing this story to life for the first time. Chi miigwetch!

OPENING NIGHT! We’re excited to share more of these beautiful images from On Native Land as we celebrate our Opening Night tonight. Running until April 19 at the York Theatre. Tickets are still available. Photo credit: On Native Land, a musical written and directed by Corey Payette. Set Design by Alaia Hamer, Costume Design by Stephanie Kong, Lighting Design by Jonathan Kim. Produced by Raven Theatre and Urban Ink, presented by The Cultch. Featuring: Amanda Trapp, Dustyn Forbes, Hailey Christie-Hoyle, Jacob Woike, Jenna Brown, Jera Wolfe, Jesse Alvarez, Nathan Coburn, Sharon Crandall, Taninli Wright, Wahsontí:io Kirby, Zac Bellward. Photos by David Cooper. #OnNativeLand #theatre #musical

Starwalker plays at the VIFF Centre in Vancouver next week! Join us on Monday April 13 for a conversation between writer, director, composer, and producer @coreypayette and Vancouver icon from Canada's Drag Race @jaylenetyme 🪶💃🏽💫 Starwalker plays one more time at the VIFF Centre on Thursday, April 16. Get your tickets with the link in our bio! #starwalkerfilm

We’re excited to share some of our production images from On Native Land, following our first preview last night. Opening tomorrow. April 8–19 at the York Theatre. Tickets available now! Photo credit: On Native Land a musical written and directed by Corey Payette, Set Design Alaia Hamer, Costume Design Stephanie Kong, Lighting Design Jonathan Kim, Produced by Raven Theatre and Urban Ink presented by The Cultch, Actors: Amanda Trapp, Dustyn Forbes, Hailey Christie-Hoyle, Jacob Woike, Jenna Brown, Jera Wolfe, Jesse Alvarez, Nathan Coburn, Sharon Crandall, Taninli Wright, Wahsontí:io Kirby, Zac Bellward. Photos by David Cooper. #OnNativeLand #theatre #musical

FIRST PHOTO: On Native Land - a new musical by Corey Payette. April 8-19, 2026. Photo credit: On Native Land a musical written and directed by Corey Payette, Set Design Alaia Hamer, Costume Design Stephanie Kong, Lighting Design Jonathan Kim, Produced by Raven Theatre and Urban Ink presented by The Cultch, Actors: Amanda Trapp, Dustyn Forbes, Hailey Christie-Hoyle, Jacob Woike, Jenna Brown, Jera Wolfe, Jesse Alvarez, Nathan Coburn, Sharon Crandall, Taninli Wright, Wahsontí:io Kirby, Zac Bellward. Photos by David Cooper.

Corey Payette's 'On Native Land' follows three different characters — a lawyer, a chief and a singer-songwriter —in what Corey describes as a musical conversation about land, identity, and love. "It really explores the complexity of indigenous life,” he explains. “So, yes it is a love story, but it also looks at how issues related to land and identity can sometimes complicate things for indigenous and non-indigenous people. Read our interview at readrange.com. 🎭 'On Native Land' runs from April 8-19 at the York Theatre. For tickets & info, visit thecultch.com. Words: @kenacliford #CoreyPayette #OnNativeLand #TheCultch #LivePerformance #Interview

A deep dive into contemporary Indigenous experiences, @coreypayette 's ON NATIVE LAND premieres for the first time April 8 to 19 at the York Theatre, highlighting themes of connection, resilience, and belonging.⁠ ⁠ A powerful musical not to be missed, the score blends Indigenous musical traditions (rooted in the drum) with modern, Broadway-style influences—creating a sound that’s both timeless and innovative.⁠ ⁠ Produced by Raven Theatre in collaboration with @urbaninkvan .⁠ ⁠ Get your tickets at the link in bio.⁠ ⁠ #OnNativeLand #Musical #WorldPremiere #Indigenous #ThingsToDoInVancouver #sponsored⁠ ⁠