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We are so excited to be re-mounting the One Night Stand Series with the help of Producer, Tatiana Carnevale. Join us at 7pm on February 2nd at the Colin Jackson Studio.
We promise you an evening unlike any other.

Curator note: I am short. So are these plays. 

“I was so pleasantly surprised by the number of submissions we received after circulating our call for the newly relaunched One Night Stand play reading series – the quality of material that individuals sent in, when we didn’t give folks a whole lot of notice to do so, was really and truly impressive! Trying to select just six to program for our first event was a pleasantly unpleasant task, as I got to read a lot of great work and had to make some tough decisions! 

Ultimately, what all the pieces in this first series have in common is that they manage to pack a whole lot of action and character development into 10 minutes or less. These works prove that you don’t need three acts to have a play. (SORRY ARISTOTLE). I hope you’ll join us and take a chance, for one night only, on a hot night with some cool new work!”

-Series Producer, Tatiana Carnevale

Without further ado, would you swipe right on… 

Irony by Sage

Sage is a young upstart in Winnipeg’s comedy scene who has a penchant for making people laugh. He is a newer face in the comedy world and has been frequenting venues across Winnipeg in order to perfect his voice and writing style.

Donation by Craig Russell

Craig Russell’s monologue, The Unintended Consequences of Love was performed at the Carol Shields Festival of New Works. His novel, Black Bottle Man won the American Moonbeam Gold Medal for YA Fantasy and was a finalist for the Canadian Aurora Award for Best English Novel. Another novel, Fragment was recently released by Thistledown Press.

The Aftermath by Trevor Graumann

Trevor Graumann is a Winnipeg writer and musician who has been a regular on the local arts scene for over a decade. A graduate of the University of Winnipeg English program, recent highlights in Trevor’s writing career include a Special Mention in CV2’s annual Young Buck Poetry Award, and a grant from the Manitoba Arts Council in support of a poetic work in progress. When not conversing deep into the night, Trevor prefers to nod off in an internet glow.

Life in a Fishbowl by Marjorie Roden

Marjorie Roden is a member of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation in Northern Saskatchewan. She received her education degree at the University of Saskatchewan then a few years later, attended SIAST Woodland Campus where she studied Media Arts Production. Later, she moved to Winnipeg, where she was a member of the New Voices Program at the National Screen Institute. She is currently completing her bachelor of arts degree at the University of Manitoba, where she’s majoring in film studies and minoring in theatre. She also makes independent films, including the sci-fi webseries Preflight Launch, and operates her production company Farmgirl In The City Productions out of her dorm room.

Jump or You’ll Die Laughing: A Tragicomic Short for the Endlessly Heavy Hearted by Kirsty Cameron

Kirsty Cameron is an emerging prairie writer, currently living in Winnipeg. She is working on a PhD in English at the University of Manitoba. Excerpts from her theatrical works-in-progress have been read at past MAP reading series events and her latest fiction short-story, “Sewing Factory, Circa 1880 — 1980,” was published in the Winter 2016 edition of Prairie Fire literary magazine.

Cherries by Per Brask

Per Brask is a Professor in the Department of Theatre and Film at the University of Winnipeg.  He has published poetry, short stories, drama, translations, interviews and essays in a wide variety of journals and books. Recent publications include a co-translation with Patrick Friesen of Ulrikka S. Gernes’s poetry collection Frayed Opus for Strings & Wind Instruments (shortlisted for the Griffin Poetry Prize, 2016) and a translation of Andreas Simonsen’s The Foundation of Ethics (Fictive Press, 2017).

All plays will be performed by an ensemble cast; Braiden Houle, Adrianna Kollar, Kevin Longfield, Jordan Phillips, Rachel Smith, Cheryl Soluk, and Erica Wilson.
All plays will be Directed by Kim Kakegamic.
The evening will be hosted by Angie St. Mars.

Stay tuned, as we will be offering two more One Night Stand events this season!

Producer Tatiana Carnevale

Director Kim Kakegamic

 

 

Starting from Scratch with a cast of expert story-tellers

This 2017 International Women’s Week Cabaret of Monologues is over-flowing with talent! Check out part two of our feature on the stellar cast.

Just off the Manitoba school tour of Sarasvàti’s Shattered, Reena Jolly has delved right back into work with us for the Cabaret. She will be performing “You Say Tomato, I say Goodbye”, a piece she resonates personally with about a difficult conversation with first-generation newcomer parents. Reena has been working hard on mastering an accent for this piece and we can’t wait to see it come to life!

Kim Kakegamic made an impact in last year’s Cabaret as an outrageous game show host. In fact this will be her third year doing a monologue for this event! Here’s something that you probably didn’t know: Kim loves geocaching and feels the exact opposite about slow-walkers. This Cabaret, Kim performs a gut-wrenching comedic piece, “The Pit” by Alissa Watson.

Reena Jolly will perform “You Say Tomato, I say Goodbye”, taken from an interview and written by Angie St. Mars

Director Kim Kakegamic

Brand new to the Sarasvàti team is Anjali Sandhu. Anjali studied stand-up and improv with Second City Toronto. You can see her regularly around town performing improv and stand-up comedy. Anjali will be performing a provocative and poetic monologue by Fauzia Rafique in this year’s Cabaret, called “Places that have no names.”

Nalini Reddy is also new to Sarasvàti, but is no stranger to the stage. She studied theatre in the Black Hole at the U of MB, performed in several fundraising productions for the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre (the annual joint RMTC-MB Bar Association show), been a performing member of Manohar Performing Arts. She’s even had her own band! Nalini will be performing, “Disapora”, the story of a woman struggling to define home while splitting her life between Winnipeg and Delhi.

You’ll remember Sydney MacFarlene from last year’s Cabaret of monologues; she was the only one who did not speak throughout her entire piece! Sydney is a devoted dancer who’s always on the move. She has been developing choreography as part of an oral-telling of a Lost Girl from South Sudan for this year’s Cabaret. During the week you’ll find her studying Kinesiology and tap-dancing under her desk.

Nalini Reddy will perform “Diaspora” by Angie St. Mars

Sydney MacFarlane will perform “Lost Girls” Hope McIntyre with the women of IIWR-MB

We caught up with these performers to ask them a few fun questions and  get to know them better as they begin buckling down to rehearse!

• If you could have coffee with any person who has ever existed, who would it be?
  Nalini: Vandana Shiva
  Reena: God. I have a few questions I’d like to ask.
  Anjali: Vincent Van Gogh (This is a lie, my true answer is Taylor Swift)
• Who is a local woman that inspires you?
  Anjali: Pam Oberman
  Kim: My co-worker Rosalyn Boucha (who is also an amazing artist) – she is smart, creative, and aspires to learn something new everyday.
  Sydney: There isn’t just one local woman who inspires me, I find inspiration in every woman I meet. They each have their own unique stories and advice that I definitely learn from.
  Nalini: Fiona Smith
  Reena: My mum hands down. She is incredibly smart and perceptive. She has a great sense of humor and makes me laugh all the time. She is extremely hard working and never gives up. My mum is a real life wonder woman.
• If you could wake up tomorrow with any new skill, what would it be?
  Nalini: Super-memory
  Anjali: Mind control or singing.
  Kim: Drawing
  Sydney: I would want to be able to memorize information just by reading it, I always have to write things out and it can be quite time-consuming.
• If you had to start over again in a new place, where would you want to go?
  Sydney: If I had to start over again, I would be in the Caribbean or somewhere in South America.
  Kim: If I could speak Swedish I’d pick Sweden. It’s where my mom’s family is from and those Nordic countries seem like pretty fabulous places to live. On this side of the ocean? Honestly, probably Regina. Haha! I’ve started over twice there before and maybe third time’s the charm!
  Reena: New Orleans. The music and art are so vibrant! Plus, they have rich history and the food would be amazing. I’ve never been there… but, I saw The Princess and the Frog one time and wanted to move there instantly.

We are enjoying getting into the rehearsal process with this amazing cast. We look forward to sharing women’s stories on a theme we can all relate to: Starting Over.  For more info on the pieces, or to get tickets visit our website!

 

Tales of Starting Over Tackled by a Stellar Cast

We’ve got a lot of local talent packed into this year’s Cabaret, some familiar faces, and some new to Sarasvati. We’re pleased to introduce to you to some of the cast members of the 2017 International Women’s Week Cabaret of Monologues. Stay tuned next week for part two!

Cherrel Holder is an actress, dancer, and teacher in both arenas. She is a passionate multi-tasker who describes herself as “raw, enthusiastic, and annoyingly positive.” Cherrel will perform In My Country, an exposé of how Canada can appear to some as they arrive from other countries.

Cherrel Holder will perform ‘In My Country’ by Hope McIntyre and the women of IIWR-MB

Erica Wilson will perform ‘Abamii (Rise Up)” by Madison Thomas

Many of you will be familiar with actor Erica Wilson who has worked with Sarasvàti many times, most-recently on Shattered.”I’m a girl with many faces”, says Wilson, “once a women said I had 5, I laughed and told her I currently had 7. I’m a workaholic that tries to do better every single year.” Wilson plays an Ojibwe Activist who finds herself faced with a big choice after speaking out at a rally.

Johanna Burdon is an actor and avid cyclist–perfect for her role in this year’s Cabaret where Johanna plays a character who is part-way through cycling across Canada.”I really like riding my bike”, said Burdon. “It’s my go-to form of transportation because it’s fun, healthy, good for the environment, easy, inexpensive, and reliable.”

Melanee Deschambeault is a full-time student in her 3rd year at U of M. She is an actor as well as one of the facilitators of Sarasvati’s  North End Youth Workshop Series. Melanee performs Questions and Answers, a piece that finds a young woman at a challenging moment in her life  as she attempts to re-enter the dating world after surviving rape.

And finally introducing Sarah London. Sarah is in her first year of studies at the University of Winnipeg. She was recently the subject of a mini-doc for The Orange Daisy Project which advocates for young women’s mental health. London will perform Wild Orchid, the monologue of a young woman with Autism who is trying to come to terms with the idea of breaking patterns.

Johanna Burdon will perform ‘Three Totems’ by Natalie Frijia

Sarah London will perform ‘Wild Orchid’ by Bev Brenna

Melanee Deschambeault will perform ‘Questions and Answers’ by Sonya Ballantyne

We caught up with these performers to ask them a few fun questions and  get to know them better as they begin buckling down to rehearse!

If you could wake up tomorrow with any new skill, what would it be?
Erica Wilson: Contortionist, hands down. Its always been in the back of my mind but the way I’m going its such an unreachable goal.
Sarah London: A photographic memory to expand my capacity for knowledge.
Johanna Burdon: To be able to speak, write, and understand every language.
Melanee Deshcambeault: I would love to bilingual. French would be awesome!
Cherrel Holder: Sing like Lea Michelle.

Who is a local woman that inspires you?
Cherrel Holder: My mom, Junette Holder, because she is a single parent from a third world country who fought to bring me and my two sisters to Canada for a better life, and in doing so has taught me the value of love and forgiveness.
Erica Wilson: I have been able to meet and work with so many kick-ass women in my life, just to name a few, Madison Thomas (also the playwright for the monologue I’m performing), Frances Koncan, Victoria Perrie, Emily Barker and Dee Thomas are just doing so well for themselves.
Sarah London:Your mom…just kidding. My mom inspires me, I probably don’t know your mom.

What would you do if you won a million dollars?
Sarah London: I would invest it, learn to play the stock market, take risks. Turn that million into millions.
Johanna Burdon: Put half of it in a fund of some sort, so that it would grow, and spend the other producing theatre/donating to theatre companies.
Erica Wilson: I’d pay off my mom’s debt, get her into her own little house fully paid and utilities paid for up to 20 years. Once that’s done pay my rent off for a year and travel. I’m a simple gal.

If you had to start over again in a new place, where would you want to go?
Cherrel Holder: New York – especially if it was Christmas!
Melanee Deschambeault: I would love to go to Montreal and audition for the National Theater School Of Canada.
Johanna Burdon: I can’t imagine getting a better start in any other city.

We are excited to get down to work with such an amazing cast. For more info on the pieces, or to get tickets visit our website!

 

Going Above and Beyond in 2017!

Happy New Year! We are excited to announce our goals for 2017! We aim to break new ground and cover uncharted territory in order to realize our vision of transforming society through theatre. Check out what we are setting our sights on this year:

1.PROMOTE DIVERSITY ON THE STAGE

If you think the Equity in Theatre stats on women in the industry have a long way to go, wait until you see the stats on diversity. Promoting diversity in the local theatre scene generates growth, equity and human understanding within the arts community and audiences.  We are proud to produce a season of theatre and workshops that respond to the lack of equity on Canadian stages proactively. January 11th marks the launch of our second round of free theatre workshops for Indigenous and newcomer youth in Winnipeg’s North End.  This March, we highlight the stories of newcomer women throughout International Women’s Week with the 2017 Cabaret of Monologues: Starting Over.

 

Natalie Frijia – Three Totems – Cabret of Monologues 2017 Playwright

Alissa Watson – The Pit – Cabret of Monologues 2017 Playwright

Bev Brenna – Wild Orchid – Cabret of Monologues 2017 Playwright

Angie St. Mars – You Say Tomato, I Say…Fine and co-writer of Diaspora – – Cabret of Monologues 2017 Playwright

Fauzia Rafique – Places that have no names – Cabret of Monologues 2017 Playwright

Madison Thomas – Abamii (Rise Up) – Cabret of Monologues 2017 Playwright

Sonya Ballantyne – Questions and Answers – Cabret of Monologues 2017 Playwright

Writer/Director Hope McIntyre; Performer Cherrel Holder with community women who shared stories

2. SUPPORT EMERGING ARTISTS

Coffee with a Pro

After successfully piloting Coffee with a Pro, an informal mentorship series that sets emerging artists up with an established artist in their field to talk shop over coffee, we look forward to expanding the series into even more disciplines in 2017.

We have received ample requests for an Audition workshop geared to those who have never auditioned before. This Spring, Hope McIntyre will facilitate just that with Auditioning 101. Stay tuned for details.

3. HAVE SOME FUN AND RAISE SOME FUNDS

We’re rolling into uncharted territory with a brand new fundraising event. On April 9^th at Academy Lanes some of the most well-known CEO’s and business leaders in Winnipeg will square-off in a Strike-a-Thon with pledges and proceeds going to Sarasvàti Productions.

Plus last year’s Women’s Comedy Night was such a success that we can’t wait for round two in the fall of 2017!

4. BUST BARRIERS

Staged reading of Breaking Through, May 2016

After over two years of community-based research, workshops, and interviews we are thrilled to present the full production of Breaking Through May 23-38, 2017.

The Mental Health is Everyone’s Health project saw Sarasvàti’s artists team up with Artists in Health Care, Red Threads Playback Theatre and the Selkirk Mental Health Centre as well as multiple community organizations and members of the public to create a play that takes a realistic look the way mental health issues affect us all. The result is a bold theatrical experience that is guaranteed to spark dialogue.

5. CELEBRATE SUCCESSES

FemFest turns 15 this year! We are working on the line-up that will appropriately celebrate our landmark festival of plays by women for everyone! You can look forward to some exciting surprises and special guest artists.

 

That’s our top 5, but when all is said and done we are basically going to produce kick-ass art and we want you to be a part of it!  Stay posted on our events by following us here!