Daughter of the Country: Samantha Loney’s Intimate Métis Memoir Takes the Stage

For Indigenous people, stories don’t always live in textbooks — they live at the kitchen table.

That truth is at the heart of Daughter of the Country, a deeply personal solo show by Métis journalist and podcaster Samantha Loney, running August 7–12 at Five Points Theatre in Barrie.

Blending storytelling, music, and family photos, Loney explores themes of Métis identity, intergenerational trauma, and the importance of oral history in preserving culture. Each anecdote unfolds like a passed-down recipe — rich with memory, pain, humour, and resilience.

Set against the familiar and comforting backdrop of a Métis kitchen party, the 45-minute show invites audiences into an intimate space where history isn't just told — it’s felt. It’s a place where laughter softens the edges of hard truths, and where every story is both a personal memory and a thread in the larger fabric of a people.

“I wanted to make something that feels like sitting with your aunties over bannock and tea,” Loney shares. “Because that’s where so many of our stories live — not in a classroom or a lecture hall, but around the table, with the people who lived them.”

Part of the Barrie Theatre Festival, Daughter of the Country is presented by Theatre by the Bay, an organization known for platforming local voices and untold stories that reflect the diversity of Central Ontario.

As much as the performance is about reclaiming culture, it’s also about the act of remembering — and how powerful that can be, especially for Indigenous youth looking to reconnect with their roots.

In a recent conversation with Deepak Bidwai, Loney spoke about the family stories that shaped the show and why bringing them to the stage now feels so urgent. “These aren’t just my stories,” she said. “They’re the stories of a people who have always been here. And they deserve to be heard.”