Undeniable Accusations of Red Cadmium Light blends sly comedy and social commentary, at the Firehall Arts Centre April 18 to May 3
Prolific playwright Drew Hayden Taylor bases the new work on real forgeries of paintings by late Anishinaabe artist Norval Morrisseau
Drew Hayden Taylor. Photo by Paul Chato
The Firehall Arts Centre presents The Undeniable Accusations of Red Cadmium Light from April 18 to May 3
WHAT IS RED Cadmium Light, the paint colour alluded to in the title of a new play by celebrated playwright, TV host, and author Drew Hayden Taylor? Invented in 1982, it’s an intense, opaque orange-red paint known for its superior brilliance and lightfastness.
It’s also a good indicator of a forgery if it appears in any painting purportedly made before 1982.
Opening this weekend at the Firehall Arts Centre, The Undeniable Accusations of Red Cadmium Light burns with the same intensity as the pigment, mixing comedy, detective story, and social commentary, as Taylor unpacks the "Pretendian" phenomenon—and specifically, the very real fraudulent use of late Anishinaabe painter Norval Morrisseau’s style.
Morrisseau, of course, was a leading figure of the Woodlands art movement, and since his death in 2007 after a prolonged battle with Parkinson’s disease, experts have tracked thousands of forgeries of his work.
Columpa Bobb helms this production of The Undeniable Accusations of Red Cadmium Light, fresh off its debut at Prairie Theatre Exchange.
In it, the character Nazhi Nigig runs an art gallery on the Otter Lake First Nation. She’s an expert in identifying counterfeits of the work of Morrisseau and other Indigenous artist through special techniques—including the analysis of Red Cadmium Light. Her daughter Beverly, meanwhile, is a successful Indigenous educator who’s up for a big promotion. But when a reporter starts investigating the world of counterfeit Indigenous art, a discovery is made that could undermine both women’s careers—not to mention their relationship.
The world of counterfeit Indigenous art is loaded territory, and when it’s in the hands of Taylor, expect sly social satire and provocative critique, as well as a few twists and turns. The Firehall has a long relationship with the prolific playwright, staging past works like Only Drunks and Children Tell the Truth and AlterNatives.
And for a closer look at the origins of The Undeniable Accusations of Red Cadmium Light and its urgent questions about authenticity and identity, hit the conversation with Taylor that happens at 1:30 pm on April 19, just before the matinee; you can reserve a spot here. 
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