The ‘Wild Women’ Are Here!

What do Supergirl, Mae West and an international soccer super star have in common? They will all take the stage at Sarasvàti Productions’ ninth cabaret of monologues. International Women’s Week is next week and we are very excited to be presenting our Cabaret of Monologues once again! This year the focus is on stories of wild women.  Past performances have sold out and have been booked as part of International Women’s Week celebrations across the province. Our audiences will be treated to a line-up of powerful and hilarious pieces while celebrating women breaking boundaries.

With a full public performance on March 8^th at 8pm, this year’s Cabaret features monologues from playwrights from different regions of the country performed by some of the best in local female talent! We are proud each year to present both emerging and established theatre artists in our line-up, and this year is no exception! Take a look beyond the cut to learn more about the unbelievably talented women who were born to be wild!

Kerri Salki Takes Home the Trophy!

What an amazing evening!

Our second annual So You Think You Can Act was a massive success! All of the celebrities blew the audience away and completed exceeded their expectations. In addition, Emcee Lee White provided the audience with hilarious commentary, as did our judges Mariam Bernstein, Ryan Miller and Robb Paterson. Other special thanks go out to our actors, who worked with their celebrity scene partners with lots of patience and encouragement!

For most of our celebrities, this was this first foray on stage, though they all took risks and really enjoyed themselves. Every celebrity participant displayed tremendous confidence in their new found acting abilities. However, the audience felt that one celebrity in particular displayed just enough brilliance to put them over the edge. Kerri Salki of 102.3 Clear FM was ultimately announced the winner and awarded the trophy! Kerri performed expertly with her scene partner as part of Daniel MacIvor’s classic piece Marion Bridge.

Every one of our celebrity participants was memorable in their own way! Our two finalists were world champion curler Jeff Stoughton and big band and jazz legend Ron Paley.

In addition to a stellar evening full of star-studded performances, the audience also partook in a raffle featuring amazing prizes and a wine and dessert post-show reception.

We want to thank all of our amazing raffle donors, volunteers, staff, playwrights who donated their work, actors and of course, the celebrities for making this evening just as memorable – if not more so – than last year’s inaugural event. We are also grateful to the audience who enjoyed the performances but also helped to make Sarasvàti Productions’ world premiere of Jail Baby a reality through their ticket and raffle purchase.

We are over the moon at how enthusiastic and excited our audience was last night! Now we need your input – who should be in the line-up for next year? What local celebrity would you most like to see try their hand at acting? We can’t wait to start working on another amazing event for 2014.

SYTYCA presents: Desiree Scott

With the even upon us it is time to give our final celebrity bio! Although the youngest of our celebrities, Desiree Scott is still a force to be wreckoned with! Having come home this summer an Olympic winner, we know that she is a fierce competitor and one that you certainly do not want to miss at So You Think You Can Act tomorrow!

Desiree Scott:

Desiree was just 8 years old when she started playing soccer for Maple Cougars, 15 when she made her debut in the Canadian youth program and 22 when she made her debut for Canada in 2010. She won a gold medal with Canada at the 2010 CONCACAF championship, won a gold medal at the XVI Pan American Games Guadalajara 2011, won a silver medal at the 2012 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying tournament in Vancouver, finished second at the 2012 Cyprus Women’s Cup and of course she won an Olympic bronze medal at the London 2012 Women’s Olympic Football Tournament. She is also currently acting as assistant coach for her old team, the Manitoba Bison.

Will Desiree finally take home the gold? You’ll be the judge of that since the audience votes the winner! Get your tickets to SYTYCA right now at www.sarasvati.ca! There will also be tickets available at the door for the 7pm performance tomorrow, February 20th at the Gas Station Arts Centre (445 River Avenue). Tickets are $25 and include a great evening of entertainment and a wine reception. There is also a raffle with amazing prizes including tickets to RWB, PTE, WSO and Jets swag! (raffle license # MGCC 5542-RF)

SYTYCA presents: Jon Ljungberg

With less than a week until the February 20th event, it’s time to get to know another of our fabulous celebrities. As part of our So You Think You Can Act biography series, we present a favourite Winnipeg personality, Jon Ljungberg!

Jon Ljungberg:

Jon Ljungberg has been entertaining audiences on comedy stages across North America for over 25 years including a stint at the Riviera Hotel and casino in Las Vegas. He has worked in Television and film including a role in Samuel L. Jackson’s film Reasonable Doubt shot here in Winnipeg this past December but most of you will remember Jon as the host of Breakfast Television. He’s the father of two grown children and has a passion for gardening, vintage toys and Politics.

Jon will be playing the unique and memorable role of an Elvis impersonator in Sharon Bajer’s hit play Burnin’ Love, alongside our Emerging Artist in Residence Samantha Walters. Think Jon has what it takes to rise to the top and take home the trophy? You gotta see it to believe it! Tickets to our 2nd annual fun fundraiser are available on our website (www.sarasvati.ca)!

WILD WOMEN take the stage!

International Women’s Week, the annual celebration of women’s achievements and progress throughout the world, is coming up fast! We are excited to be hosting our annual Cabaret of Monologues as part of the city-wide festivities! Sarasvàti Productions has a proud history of celebrating women’s voices in Winnipeg (and beyond), and we look forward to this year’s unique offering: Wild Women.

This is the 9^th time we have presented our Cabaret of Monologues and it’s about time we featured women breaking boundaries! Women from all walks of life are featured in what is sure to be a night to remember! Our Cabaret of Monologues will be shown for one night only, on March 8 at the Gallery at Manitoba Hydro Place (360 Portage Avenue). Tickets are just $10 and the show starts at 8pm! We are also doing a sneak-peek on March 8^th at noon for those who just wanna stop by!

We are particularly excited to announce several partnerships with community organizations in and around Winnipeg! We’ll be performing selected pieces at the University of Manitoba, the University of Winnipeg, Sage House, Portage Place Mall and at a fundraiser for Genesis House in Winkler. The full schedule is available on our website. If you are looking however, to get the full Wild Women experience, you’ll need to get tickets to our evening show on the 8^th which features Elena Anciro, Alexandra Bolton, Jane Burpee, Melanie Dean, Nan Fewchuk, Cheryl Gensiorek, Cherrel Holder, Lorraine James, Danielle Savage and Samantha Walters tackling characters from Supergirl to Mae West! Buy now!

SYTYCA presents: Marcy Markusa

Today we feature yet another Winnipeg celebrity who has risen to the challenge of appearing on stage for the first time! As part of our 2nd annual So You Think You Can Act fundraiser, we are delighted to be presenting an array of celebrites who wear many hats! Marcy Markusa is certainly a local favourite and you don’t want to miss seeing her play ‘dowdy’ Ivy in August: Osage County opposite Jane Burpee. Jane was paired last year with her son Ace who ran away with the glittering trophy.

Marcy Markusa:

Co-host of the weekday morning radio show on CBC Radio One, 89.3 FM / 990 AM in Winnipeg, Marcy Markusa has been with CBC since 2001. Marcy has recently won a Gabriel Award in 2012 for hosting a CBC Radio One special titled, Resolve. Before joining CBC, Marcy hosted a television show called CityScape in Winnipeg. Prior to that, she was a radio reporter and show co-host for Golden West Broadcasting in Southern Manitoba. She is committed to fighting the stigma surrounding mental illness. She is married to the love of her life Jean-Paul and they live in Winnipeg with two small dogs that run the house.

It’s time to get Marcy out of that radio booth and into the spotlight! Come see her and the rest of our celebrities, along with our zany panel of judges on February 20th! For $25 you’ll be highly entertained plus have the opportunity to join our celebrities for a wine reception. You can purchase your tickets at www.sarasvati.ca!