Int’l Women’s Week Cabaret of Monologues Line-Up Announced

International Women’s Week Cabaret of Monologues
March 12, 2011  4pm & 8pm
Colin Jackson Studio Theatre (at Prairie Theatre Exchange, 3rd Floor Portage Place)
Tickets $10
Language and Content Warning

We are pleased to announce the full line-up for our International Women’s Week Cabaret of Monologues in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the declaration of International Women’s Day. The evening includes a diverse line-up of monologues reflecting a wide array of women’s voices. From the hilarious ruminations of famous historical women to the powerful exploration of issues such as addiction, these pieces offer something for everyone.

Our last Cabaret of Monologues sold out, so be sure to reserve your tickets early by calling 586-2236 or through our website – www.sarasvati.ca .

International Women’s Week Cabaret of Monologues – Full Line-up:

Standby by Frances Worster; Performed by Elena Anciro
Caroline battles with drug addiction, but not her own. How do you protect the ones you love, yet allow them to be free to make their own mistakes?

Lock Out by Marika Schwandt; Performed by Gisele Charr
A timely piece exploring one woman’s search to find her friend. She knows no one else will be looking because her friend is a prostitute and aboriginal.

Suffragette by Jessy Ardern; Performed by Nan Fewchuk
Mary knows that a revolution that comes too easily will soon be forgotten. A satirical look at the alternative suffragette movement.  

Hail Mary by Cairn Moore; Performed by Stephanie Sy
Mary has come to confession, but only to confess her impure thoughts. A hilarious perspective on what young girls consider to be acceptable sexual behaviour. 

Eleanor Roosevelt by Ginny Collins; Performed by Jane Burpee
Is it true that Eleanor Roosevelt was the only quotable woman before 1950? How would she feel about how her words of wisdom are being shared in the 21^stcentury?

Hockey Mom by Alison McLean; Performed by Alissa Watson
She’s different from the other parents at the rink, but it doesn’t take long for Susie to get in the game and let go of her desire to be the perfect mom.

Not  Like Her by Jayne Collins; Performed by Ashley Chartrand
A young girl battles her past, determined not to turn out like her mother. Yet, she is already battling her own demons of drugs and alcohol.

Miss Orient(ed) by Nina Aquino; Performed by Stephanie Sy
What does it take for a Filipino girl to fit in? Carrie shares the moment she became a true Canadian at Shoppers Drug Mart.

Secret Shame by Christine Lesiak; Performed by Hope McIntyre
The story of a woman struggling with both self-imposed and cultural expectations around childbirth and motherhood.  As a result she ends up hiding her secret shame in the basement freezer for seven years.

Living Cosmo by Hope McIntyre; Performed by Elizabeth Stephensen
With Cosmo as her bible a young woman attempts to become the ideal woman, only to discover that she is turning into a shadow of her former self.

Sarasvati at Our Great Community Festival

Volunteer Amanda Roncin at the Sarasvati display

We were pleased to participate in the Winnipeg Foundation’s first Our Great Community Festival. We had a great time meeting other organizations that the Foundation supports and doing an excerpt from our popular touring piece No Offense… with actors Mary Black and Ashley Chartrand. Over 700 people came through the display room on January 16th.

A big thank you to our volunteers on that day! It truly was a community event. The Winipeg Foundation has been an amazing support for so many groups for 90 years and we are pleased to have had their past support as well as to hold our endowment fund with them.

Artistic Director Hope McIntyre at the Sarasvati display

Sarasvati Celebrates International Women’s Week

Sarasvàti Productions announces the return of their exciting cabaret of monologues to celebrate International Women’s Week. After selling out in 2008 and touring to community organizations throughout Manitoba audiences will once again have a chance to enjoy a new line-up of powerful and hilarious pieces. The topics of the monologues are as diverse and wonderful as the performers.

Sarasvàti Productions launched this popular event in 2004 in order to celebrate International Women’s Week.  Over the years it has featured dozens of monologues from playwrights across Canada.  The goal is to provide a broad range of voices, issues and styles that relate to women’s experiences.  The Cabaret has worked with various women’s groups in the past to raise funds and awareness (including the Brandon YWCA Women’s Shelter, New Waves Collective, and SISTARS at the South Point Douglas Women’s Centre).  After a two-year hiatus the event is returning to mark the 100^th anniversary of the declaration of International Women’s Day. There are events happening all over the world to mark this occasion.  The monologues represent the diverse voices of women covering the spectrum of humour and tragedy that women experience in their lives.

The two public performances will both take place on March 12th at the Colin Jackson Studio (at Prairie Theatre Exchange, 3^rd floor Portage Place Shopping Centre) with a 4pm and 8pm showing.  Tickets are only $10 and can be reserved by phone (586-2236) or on the website (www.sarasvati.ca).

In addition the work is being offered to community groups looking for a unique way to celebrate women during this landmark anniversary of International Women’s Day.

The topics of the monologues include: hockey moms, quotable women, drug addiction, chastity, violence against women and the beauty myth. Four local playwrights are being showcased with new monologues specifically written for the event, including emerging writer Jessy Ardern, Fringe favorite Ginny Collins as well as past FemFest participants Cairn Moore and Alison McLean. In addition, playwrights from across Canada will have their work included – Nina Aquino, Jayne Collins, Christine Lesiak, Marika Schwandt and Frances Worster.

The cast of the cabaret includes the artistic director and founder of Sarasvàti Productions Hope McIntyre, as well as veterans of the Winnipeg stage Jane Burpee and Nan Fewchuk and rising stars Elena Anciro, Gisele Charr, Ashley Chartrand, Stephanie Sy and Alissa Watson.