Manitoba: The playful province

Festival honours playwrights of Manitoba’s past and present

William O’Donnell, staff

Manitoba Theatre Centre’s (MTC) 50th anniversary season has conjured more than just great play lineups for its main stage and warehouse seasons. This year, MTC, along with the Manitoba Association of Playwrights (MAP), has helped to present; Once Upon A Time In Manitoba: A Festival Celebration of Manitoba Plays. This festival showcases seven Manitoba plays from the last 30 years from Bruce McManus, James Durham, Carolyn Gray, Maureen Hunter, Alf Silver (a founder of MAP), and the late Arnold Mickelson.

All of the performances are happening at the MTC Warehouse, and no official ticket prices will be charged. Instead, all of the shows will be by audience donation of whatever the one wishes to offer to help support a great cause and keep events that support local plays, such as this, alive.

Angus Kohm, a production manager-associate producer for MAP, feels that “A festival of all Manitoba plays is long overdue.” Kohm, along with everyone else at MAP, also feel that “It’s important for people to know about Manitoba playwriting history.” With this in mind, they hope that as many people as possible come out to these shows, not just because it helps support their cause, but because the plays themselves are both highly significant to our province and very entertaining. If this festival proves successful and popular enough, MAP hopes to put on something bigger in the following years.

Many of these plays have not been presented since the 1980s, when many of them appeared on the same WOnce Upon A Time In Manitoba: A Festival Celebration of Manitoba PlaysOnce Upon A Time In Manitoba: A Festival Celebration of Manitoba Playsarehouse stage which they now return to. Some great, local talent is behind these productions, such as Ross McMillan (who, if you’ve never seen him onstage locally, perhaps you did in Guy Maddin’s The Saddest Music in the World) who will be directing Douglas Nepinak’s final play The Life of Ruth. Appearing in the cast of this same play will be the very talented Ian Ross, who is perhaps best known as “Joe from Winnipeg.”

The other shows include: Alf Silver’s Thimblerig, Carolyn Gray’s Sophie and the Weiner Man, James Durham’s Franklin, Bruce McManus’s Then Jesus Cut Me Up

And Put The Pieces In The Freezer, Arnold Mickelson’s The Deer Jackers, and, finally, Maureen Hunter’s Beautiful Lake Winnipeg.

In addition to the many plays being presented, folks will get a chance to hear readings and conversations with Maureen Hunter, one of Manitoba’s most successful playwrights, in person on Dec. 15 at 1 p.m. This is great opportunity to get to know one of Manitoba’s own as both a working artist and as a person. As well, on the same day at 8 p.m., there will be a reception for Scirocco Drama Book Launch of new plays. Both this reception and An Afternoon With Maureen Hunter, like the plays, are “pay what you can” to attend.

Everyone out there can catch this festival between Dec. 6 and Dec. 15 at the MTC Warehouse; all shows are at 8 p.m. For further details you may contact MAP by phone: 942-8941 or visit the festival site: http://members.autobahn.mb.ca/~map/once.htm.





Volume 95 Issue 16	The Official University of Manitoba Students' Newspaper Website	December 05, 2007

Home About Us Advertising Rates Contact Staff Current Issue PDF Employment Letters to the Editor Meet the Staff Online Archives Volunteer Online Classifieds St. Vincent's Academy Diaries	Font Size Respond Email Print-Friendly Manitoba: The playful province Festival honours playwrights of Manitoba’s past and present William O’Donnell, staff Manitoba Theatre Centre’s (MTC) 50th anniversary season has conjured more than just great play lineups for its main stage and warehouse seasons. This year, MTC, along with the Manitoba Association of Playwrights (MAP), has helped to present; Once Upon A Time In Manitoba: A Festival Celebration of Manitoba Plays. This festival showcases seven Manitoba plays from the last 30 years from Bruce McManus, James Durham, Carolyn Gray, Maureen Hunter, Alf Silver (a founder of MAP), and the late Arnold Mickelson. All of the performances are happening at the MTC Warehouse, and no official ticket prices will be charged. Instead, all of the shows will be by audience donation of whatever the one wishes to offer to help support a great cause and keep events that support local plays, such as this, alive. Angus Kohm, a production manager-associate producer for MAP, feels that “A festival of all Manitoba plays is long overdue.” Kohm, along with everyone else at MAP, also feel that “It’s important for people to know about Manitoba playwriting history.” With this in mind, they hope that as many people as possible come out to these shows, not just because it helps support their cause, but because the plays themselves are both highly significant to our province and very entertaining. If this festival proves successful and popular enough, MAP hopes to put on something bigger in the following years. Many of these plays have not been presented since the 1980s, when many of them appeared on the same WOnce Upon A Time In Manitoba: A Festival Celebration of Manitoba PlaysOnce Upon A Time In Manitoba: A Festival Celebration of Manitoba Playsarehouse stage which they now return to. Some great, local talent is behind these productions, such as Ross McMillan (who, if you’ve never seen him onstage locally, perhaps you did in Guy Maddin’s The Saddest Music in the World) who will be directing Douglas Nepinak’s final play The Life of Ruth. Appearing in the cast of this same play will be the very talented Ian Ross, who is perhaps best known as “Joe from Winnipeg.” The other shows include: Alf Silver’s Thimblerig, Carolyn Gray’s Sophie and the Weiner Man, James Durham’s Franklin, Bruce McManus’s Then Jesus Cut Me Up And Put The Pieces In The Freezer, Arnold Mickelson’s The Deer Jackers, and, finally, Maureen Hunter’s Beautiful Lake Winnipeg. In addition to the many plays being presented, folks will get a chance to hear readings and conversations with Maureen Hunter, one of Manitoba’s most successful playwrights, in person on Dec. 15 at 1 p.m. This is great opportunity to get to know one of Manitoba’s own as both a working artist and as a person. As well, on the same day at 8 p.m., there will be a reception for Scirocco Drama Book Launch of new plays. Both this reception and An Afternoon With Maureen Hunter, like the plays, are “pay what you can” to attend. Everyone out there can catch this festival between Dec. 6 and Dec. 15 at the MTC Warehouse; all shows are at 8 p.m. For further details you may contact MAP by phone: 942-8941 or visit the festival site: http://members.autobahn.mb.ca/~map/once.htm.


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