Corey Payette

His first musical, Children of God, was an examination of the Canadian Indian residential school system.[4] It premiered at Vancouver's York Theatre in May 2017, followed by a two-week run at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa;[5] it then embarked on a national tour through 2019.[6] Of the original production's designation as a Canada 150 event, Payette said that he viewed the Canada 150 program as an opportunity to educate Canadians about aspects of their history that had been underrepresented.[7]

His second musical, Les Filles du Roi, premiered in 2018.[8] It presented a feminist and indigenous spin on Canadian colonial history, telling the story of a French fille du roy who comes to New France in the 17th century, but finds her purpose in her connection with new Mohawk friends rather than in the traditional role of the filles du roy.[9] The production won several Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards in 2019, including awards for Payette for Outstanding Direction and Outstanding Sound Design in Small Theatre.[10]

Later in 2018 he also premiered Sedna, an outdoor theatre production which blended music with puppetry, with the Caravan Farm Theatre company in Armstrong.[11]

In 2023 he premiered Starwalker, a musical about an indigenous drag queen.[12] It marked his first time basing a musical around a fully contemporary story rather than one drawn from indigenous history.[2]

In the 2010s, he composed music for an OMNI Television documentary about artist Amin Amir.

Stories That Transform Us, his documentary film about the history of the Urban Ink theatre collective, premiered at the 2021 Vancouver International Film Festival.[13]

In 2022 he entered production on Les Filles du Roi, a film adaptation of the 2018 musical which premiered at the 2023 Vancouver International Film Festival.[14]