Krystle Pederson
Photo courtesy of The Saskatchewan Native Theatre Company
“It just teaches you how to . . . be yourself,” she said. “You don’t have to worry . . . - nobody is going to laugh at you. You know, your creativity is how you make it.”
The accomplished 22-year-old Métis singer-actor works for The Saskatchewan Native Theatre Company (SNTC), as one of five youth employed in the Youth Ensemble. Until she was hired by the Theatre a year and a half ago, Pederson says she really did not understand her culture.
Adopted by her uncle, raised in an urban setting, wrestling with school and the symptoms of Foetal Alcohol Effects, Pederson was a confused and struggling child.
“I had a really hard time in school which I know, for Aboriginal youth, that’s a hard thing to get through. School was never one of my strong points,” she said.
Fortunately, Pederson’s talent helped stabilize her, “Music always kept me moving forward and kept me kind of together and on my toes. I always felt because I had that, I can always do something more – better,” she said.
Despite her successes through music, Pederson found even that could sometimes be a drawback. “Growing up . . . a lot of it was based on my singing and I never really knew my own identity until I came to the Theatre,” she said.
Pederson had begun singing competitively at age seven; like many of her contemporaries, popular culture was her vehicle of choice. “When I was little, it was mostly Disney songs . . . - from the Little Mermaid, Pocahontas, Beauty and the Beast – any type of Disney music,” she said.
“I started performing on stage at Telemiracle and the Youth Talent Search at the Exhibition. I’ve done musical festivals. From there, I sang everywhere across Canada I guess except . . . far out east,” she said.
With her voice, Pederson garnered multiple awards and widespread recognition. “I’ve gotten the National Métis Youth Role Model Award for Career Advancement. I’ve won the SaskTel Youth Awards. I’ve been part of musical festivals through voice lessons. There’s the Saskatoon Music Festival - I won many first and second place awards there,” she said.
When Pederson found her way into the thespian arena, she “joined theatre to gain more stage experience, to speak well in front of audiences, and be able to move on stage,” she said.
She found something even more valuable than presentation style at SNTC. “I figured out who I was instead of being somebody that everybody was making me believe I was,” she said. “So now I have my own identity.” That knowledge, says Pederson, “makes me a lot stronger.”
When she first arrived at SNTC, Pederson was wrestling with far more serious challenges than being a novice actor. “You are supposed to be drug and alcohol free while working here,” she said. “That’s a big thing. Some youth come in and it’s very hard. I had a problem with that too.”
She received the help she needed from general manager Donna Heimbecker and artistic director Kennetch Charlette, whom she calls “just incredible. They . . . teach you how to be more strong. They’re there to talk to if you’re having a down day or if you’re having trouble; they . . . pick you up.”
“They also teach you how to have more strength in yourself because of all the challenges that youth face these days with drugs and alcohol,” said Pederson. “They teach you how to be strong in those areas and fight them and be able to overcome some of the challenges we face.”
It is at the Theatre that Pederson began to fill in the patchy picture of her cultural identity. “That’s something that I didn’t have when I grew up. Since I came here they taught me a lot about my culture and the way of life long ago,” she said.
Today, Pederson believes strongly in her newfound culture and self identity. “Feeling strong about who you are as a person – that kept me going – just knowing who I am. . . . That’s helped me out a lot.”
Now Pederson shares with other Aboriginal youth the lessons she learned as she fulfills the roles of the Youth Ensemble. “We go out around the community as a group and speak with youth, do plays . . . and show youth there’s a bigger world out there,” she said. Youth Ensemble employees range in age from 18 to 30 and the actors’ hours depend upon the current project.
Pederson is currently Annabel in a children’s play that seems to reflect Pederson’s own life. “ANNABEL: A Tale of a Girl and her Raven.” Annabel “drifts into a dream world and goes on a magical journey where she learns about family and respect,” said Pederson. “This play is sure to brighten anyone’s imagination.”
Plays like Annabel help the Youth Ensemble fulfil its double purpose. The actors serve as role models and mentors for other Aboriginal youth, and they further develop their skills in the arts to prepare them for future opportunities in film, theatre and commercials. Says Pederson, “Learning is a life long process!”
In the future, Pederson hopes to “make something of my name as an entertainer but moreso as a singer,” she said. “I would like to be known nationally but would like to work myself into the music business internationally. I believe very strongly that you can do anything you set your mind to and when you dream big anything can happen!”
To other youth, Pederson sends this message, “Be yourself. Find out who you are. When you find out what you’re good at, grab onto it and nurture it . . . and find people [who] will be able to help you achieve your dreams.”
SNTC was founded on the understanding that arts and culture are intertwined and are an integral part of human make-up. The Theatre creates, develops and produces artistic presentations by Canadian Aboriginal Artists to complement and enhance the local and national performing arts scene. For more information about the Saskatchewan Native Theatre Company, visit www.sntc.ca.