Yolanda Bonnell facts for kids

Yolanda Bonnell is a talented Canadian actress and playwright. She is well-known for her play Bug. This play was even nominated for a Governor General's Award in 2020. This award is one of Canada's highest honors for writers.

Early Life and Learning

Yolanda Bonnell is an Anishinaabe person. She is a member of the Fort William First Nation. This community is located near Thunder Bay, Ontario. Yolanda studied theatre at Humber College. After finishing her studies, she began her acting career. Her first important acting role was in a play called The Crackwalker in 2016.

Her Work in Theatre

Yolanda Bonnell has acted in many plays. In 2018, she was in Kamloopa: An Indigenous Matriarch Story. The next year, in 2019, she performed in The Unnatural and Accidental Women. More recently, in 2022, Yolanda premiered two new plays. One was White Girls in Moccasins at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. The other was My Sister's Rage at Tarragon Theatre.

The Play 'Bug'

Yolanda's own play, Bug, has been shown at many theatre festivals. It first appeared at the Rhubarb Festival in 2015. In 2019, Bug was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award. This award recognizes excellent theatre in Toronto.

In early 2020, a production of Bug by Theatre Passe Muraille gained a lot of attention. Yolanda asked that only critics who understood Indigenous art review her play. She explained that she wanted reviews to come from a place of knowledge. She felt that some past reviews did not fully understand her work. She wanted critics who could truly appreciate Indigenous stories.