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Cliff Cardinal - Photo by Dahlia Katz

Cliff Cardinal - Photo by Dahlia Katz

Cliff Cardinal - Photo by Dahlia Katz

Cliff Cardinal - Photo by Dahlia Katz

Cliff Cardinal - Photo by Dahlia Katz

WITH SOLD-OUT PERFORMANCES AND CRITICAL ACCLAIM, CLIFF CARDINAL'S SHOW RETURNS.

The Land Acknowledgement,
or As You Like It

TICKETS ON SALE

Wednesday, April 5: 12PM

Dates

May 4 - May 7, 2023

Closed: May 7, 2023

Theatre

CAA Theatre

651 Yonge St, Toronto

Running Time

1 hour 30 minutes (no intermission)

Advisory

This production contains strong language and examines mature themes, including: war and its associated violence, colonization, sexual violence, gun violence, mass murder, and suicide. Recommended for ages 14+.

ACCESS THE PROGRAMME

Digital Version

Accessibility Services

For assistance booking special access seats or for information about our Accessibility Services, please call 1.800.461.3333.

The Land Acknowledgement or as you like it
Critic's Pick
A liberating night at the theatre.

Brutally funny and honest.

- J. Kelly Nestruck, The Globe & Mail

In September 2021, just as theatres were starting to reopen after the long pandemic hiatus, Crow’s Theatre, one of the city’s most eclectic and adventuresome companies, decided to begin with an audacious new show. They said very little about it. Only that it was a “radical retelling by Cliff Cardinal” of William Shakespeare’s As You Like It. There were no further details, no cast list, nothing.

Of course, most people know As You Like It as one of the bard’s most accessible and whimsical plays. How was Cliff, a young Indigenous playwright and actor acclaimed for his acerbic, mischievous humour and willingness to deal with raw emotions and difficult subject matter, going to retell this classic of Western theatre?

When the show was finally on stage, word spread about it like wildfire. Its first audiences raved: it was "essential viewing," "a surprising, powerful, thrilling, and moving piece of theatre that will never be forgotten.”

As more people saw the show, it became clear that what Cliff was doing with his new work was examining the relationship between the Indigenous community and the settlers. He was showing us what a young and insightful artist from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation sees in the aftermath of the discovery of unmarked graves on the grounds of former residential schools. He was offering us the unvarnished truth of the state of the reconciliation process this country has been attempting for the last few decades. He was using theatre to do what it has always done: to take a few moments and pay attention to someone other than our own selves.

Called “the Canadian arts surprise of the year" by The Globe and Mail, Cliff’s brilliant play The Land Acknowledgement, or As You Like It will dazzle and engage you as only the best theatre can.

The Land Acknowledgement, or As You Like It
Written by and Starring Cliff Cardinal
David Mirvish presents the Crow’s Theatre Production

Crow's Theatre logo

National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations RoseAnne Archibald shares a laugh with playwright and actor Cliff Cardinal's hit solo show The Land Acknowledgement or As You Like It at the CAA Theatre in Toronto

National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations RoseAnne Archibald shares a laugh with playwright and actor Cliff Cardinal's after a performance of Cardinal's hit solo show The Land Acknowledgement or As You Like It at the CAA Theatre in Toronto - Duane Cole/The Globe and Mail

Critic's Pick

A LIBERATING NIGHT AT THE THEATRE.
BRUTALLY FUNNY AND HONEST.

- THE GLOBE AND MAIL

A MUST-SEE! - TORONTO STAR
THRILLING!
TOUR DE FORCE PERFORMANCE.
- CTV
POWERFUL AND HILARIOUS. - GLOBAL NEWS
CLIFF CARDINAL IS FORCE OF NATURE. - SIRIUS XM