n 2016, Winnipeg-based actress Tracey Nepinak worked on a double-drama for Theatre Projects Manitoba titled Reservations. In the second of two short plays, Nepinak had to recite an entire lecture on philosopher Martin Heidegger that might have challenged the memorization skills of even the most accomplished of actors.

But its intellectual heft becomes a weakness when Standing Reserve bogs down in a far-too-long scene that literally becomes a lecture on Heidegger, and the connection between his philosophy and traditional Cree teachings. While it drives to a powerful conclusion, it's a weak spot in an otherwise compelling piece.

¶ 10:32 AM