Upcoming Workshops for Emerging Artists!

Want to get started in theatre? Want to expand your skills as an artist? Or maybe you want to get some feedback on a new script? Luckily, Sarasvàti Productions is offering another great season of workshops! After our Coffee House for Emerging Artists back in August, we listened to Winnipeg’s theatre community to better understand what is needed from us – and how we can better execute our mandate to serve emerging artists. In talking with local artists, we decided to focus this year’s workshops on mentorship and development opportunities for the community.We’ve already kicked off the season with our sold-out “Devising from the Real World” workshop with Burnt artist Norah Paton as part of FemFest 2018: Staging Resistance. The workshop taught participants the basics of devised theatre and how to create a piece from real-life experiences.

“Devising from the Real World” Workshop

 

We also showcased our first One Night Stand session coordinated by Tatiana Carnevale, featuring excerpts of new plays from Leigh-Anne Kehler, Frances Koncan, Jo MacDonald, Cairn Moore, and Donna-Michelle St. Bernard. The One Night Stand series pairs playwrights with a director and team of actors to workshop a new script through a public reading. This process helps the playwrights gain valuable audience feedback and learn how they can continue developing their play. We’ll be hosting more sessions in the spring: stay tuned for details!

We’ll be bringing back our annual Coffee with a Pro mentorship sessions, which pair emerging artists with a pro in the field to talk shop over coffee.  “It’s always useful to hear from professionals in the field,” said one participant. “It helps break the illusion that professionals are some beyond human, super being. Being able to ask questions about their journey and process helps create a more concrete path for someone hoping to take their work to the next level.” We’ll be reaching out to Winnipeg’s theatre community to help emerging artists learn from the pros in topics like playwriting, producing, and artistic direction.

Emerging Directors having Coffee with Ann Hodges

On November 25^th, we’ll be hosting a panel on Mental Health in Theatre: asking professionals in both the artistic and mental health community how to balance self-care with a career in the arts. Local representatives will also speak to creating a safe environment from the rehearsal hall to the stage, making sure everyone feels comfortable as a cast and creative team. Also answering the question on self-care in theatre is our upcoming panel, “Can You Make a Living as an Artist in Winnipeg?” Professionals in the theatre community will speak to how they’ve made a career as an artist – and share some wisdom on how you can, too!

We’ll also be hosting a lecture on “Queering Theatre” with local artists in the LGBT+ community. Through this lecture, participants will learn how they can bring queering practices to their own work and celebrate what queer culture has to offer.

“Let’s talk about Queer, because it doesn’t always mean gay or lesbian. It means sexual, radical, from another culture, non-linear, redefining form as well as content. […] you come into the theatre assured of who you are and what you believe, but you leave the theatre all shook up.”  – Sky Gilbert, Former Artistic Director of Buddies in Bad Times Theatre

Want to be a part of this year’s workshop series? Contact Associate Producer Daphne at associate@sarasvati.ca to learn more! You can also join our mailing list for updates on what we’re offering throughout the year.

“Home 2.0” Hits the Road!

Our latest school tour is up and running! After two years of community interviews and storytelling, Home 2.0 hit the road this week to start its Manitoban tour. We’ll be taking the show to high schools in Winnipeg and surrounding areas to share stories of immigration, resettlement, and what it means to start over in a new country.

“Do you remember your first time on a plane?”

This past week, we opened the show with a public preview at the Graffiti Gallery. The cast got to test-run the show with an audience, getting folks on their feet to help work through the issues presented by the play. One audience member said that the stories felt so familiar. As someone who works with newcomers, she was moved by the common threads between her clients and the characters in the play.

Because Home 2.0 is presented “forum theatre style”, the play shows audiences the worst case scenario for the characters and invites them to explore actions that will lead to a better ending. After the play, audience members were encouraged to swap out with the characters to find a solution together. Audience members stepped into the scenes, offering one student the chance to succeed in sports while another was given help with sponsorship papers. One audience member even stepped into a bully’s shoes to make a newcomer student feel welcome! Home 2.0 is already showing audiences how we can help make a change for the better.

“Home 2.0” Preview at the Graffiti Gallery

We kicked off the tour on Monday with back-to-back double-show days at Steinbach Regional Secondary School before performing for Seven Oaks Met School and Miles Mac Collegiate.  “The students at our first show were amazing,” shares Director Hope McIntyre, “they stopped the action and jumped in with amazing enthusiasm. In fact, they were competing to get up there.” Want to bring the show to your school? We only have a few dates left before the tour wraps up on December 7 – contact Angelina at touring@sarasvati.ca for more information!

The cast and stage manager of “Home 2.0”!

Not a student or a teacher? No problem! You still have one more chance to check out Home 2.0 outside of a school – we’ll be at the Millennium Library on Saturday, October 20^th at 2PM. While we recommend the show for youth thirteen and up, all ages are welcome! Admission is by donation. For more info, visit our event page!

Women’s Comedy Night is Back!

They say good things come in threes – so we’ve brought back our annual Women’s Comedy Night fundraiser for a third year! On November 14^th, join some of Winnipeg’s funniest women in supporting life-changing theatre.

Returning as host for her third year is Dana Smith. Dana Smith runs the successful monthly Women’s Open Mic and is a member of the sketch group HUNKS. She’s been featured in Just for Laughs Northwest, the Winnipeg Comedy Festival, Chicago Sketchfest, San Francisco Sketchfest, Edmonton’s Improvaganza, and has recorded for Sirius XM radio.

 

 

Elissa Black Wolf Kixen will be producing the event for the first time. Elissa is an Anishinaabe Two Spirit Comedian whose roots lay in Couchiching First Nation, Ontario. They have travelled across Canada and the USA as a Comedian and improviser. They use comedy as a tool in dealing with racism, homophobia, and sexism. They are the co-founder/producer of WOKE Comedy Hour and have been featured on APTN’s The Laughing Drum and serve as the Manitoba Ambassador for the Canadian Association of Stand-up Comedians. They also co-produce Queer and Present Danger with Chanty Morastica.

 

Meet the comedians who will be tickling your funny bones:

Ana Damaskin is Russian-Canadian that relocated to Winnipeg from Maritimes 6 years ago after she mistook a cult for yoga retreat and gave up all possession. She’s self-realized aging hipster who has bike, drinks kombucha, and enjoy soothing sounds of white-noise machine. She has performed at Queer & Present Danger and multiple alt-comedy show at Wee Johnny’s. She brings dark, tongue-in-cheek twist to her comedy. Currently in year-long beef with Shoppers Drug Mart for gifting anti-aging creams on her 29^th birthday. She asks that you please read comedian biography in Russian accent.

 

Dione C. Haynes is a product of the Caribbean and South America, living on Treaty One Land. She is a writer, poet, and co-producer of WOKE Comedy Hour, fresh off their run at Winnipeg Fringe 2018.

 

 

 

 

 

Mayran Kalah is a Comedian from the bushes of Somalia and brings her experiences of displacement to the stage. She is one year into comedy and is a staple performer of WOKE Comedy Hour. She brings her A-Game every time she enters the stage.

 

 

Danielle Kayahara is a benevolent cat owner and relative newcomer to the Winnipeg comedy scene. Fuelled by equal parts anxiety and caffeine, she remains convinced that the former has nothing to do with the latte. Danielle has appeared in the Winnipeg Fringe Festival, the Winnipeg Comedy Showcase, and the Winnipeg Comedy Festival. She is excited to bring her unique blend of storytelling and silliness to the stage in support of Sarasvàti Productions.

 

Born and raised in Winnipeg, Dawn Lavand is a city slicker is of Cree and Ojibwe descent. A former youth in care, child actress, and a former great deal of other things; she strives to share her teachings/lessons learned along her journey in a good way.  She possesses a bright and extroverted personality with a quick wit that contributes to her ability to engage and build community by sharing her story through humourous anecdotes you are sure to enjoy. Dawn believes that laughter is medicine, so come out and get a dose.

 

Plus we are super excited to include our former producer of the event! Angie St. Mars is a Winnipeg-based comedian who has been accused of “lighting it all on fire!” with her tongue-in-cheek feminist-fueled wit. She has been featured multiple times at the Winnipeg Comedy Festival, ODDBLOCK Comedy Festival, the Winnipeg Comedy Showcase, and Queer and Present Danger. She is a staple on the live comedy game show Pants on Fire and has performed alongside such notable comedians as Jess Salomon, Eman El Husseini, and Kevin McDonald. She is proud to have opened for the likes of Paul Rabliauskas, Mike Rita, and 2018 Juno Award recipient for Comedy Album of the Year, Ivan Decker.

 

You can catch these hilarious comics at two different performances on November 14^th: a 7PM show and a racier version at 9:30PM! This year, we’ve relocated to Club 200 (190 Garry St), which is an accessible venue. Last year we sold out the early show and came close with the late night edition, so don’t miss out – get your tickets today!

 

Meet the Cast of “Home 2.0”!

“This project means a lot to me, especially as a first generation Canadian that grew up watching my parents going through similar struggles after their immigration.”

– performer Joanne Roberts

Over the past two years, we’ve conducted interviews with local community groups to share the stories of newcomer youth. Home 2.0 was created as part of our “New Beginnings” project, focusing on youth experiences of immigration and resettlement.

After a great preview at FemFest 2018, Home 2.0 is ready to hit the road starting October 15^th! Meet the incredible cast bringing newcomer stories to life:

Melissa Langdon

Melissa Langdon is thrilled to be back with Sarasvàti Productions. A recent graduate of the University of Winnipeg’s Theatre and Film program, she loves singing, dancing, and playing the violin. You might have seen her in past productions as Kay in Time and the Conways, Nearly Wild in Concord Floral, or Rosencrantz in Rosencrantz Guildenstern Are Dead and the Original New Beginnings cast.

 

Reena Jolly

Reena Jolly is keeping herself very busy this year when it comes to theatre. Later in the year, Reena will be doing another touring show with MTYP called Torn Through Time. When Reena is not out saving the world one smile at a time, she enjoys things like hanging out with her family, singing in the shower and being a decent human being. Reena feels very blessed to be surrounded by such talented and inspiring performers all year round.

 

 

Manuel Ortega

Manuel Ortega is proud to collaborate with Sarasvàti Productions. Arriving as refugees with his family in the winter of 1990, this play strikes a certain chord in his heart. Manuel is a graduate of U of M and has worked under the directions of Bill Kerr, Chris Johnson, Gary Jarvis and Kelly Jenken. Fluent in English and Spanish, Manuel enjoys Wrestling, Jiu-Jitsu, singing, and dancing, in no particular order.

 

Matthew Paris-Irvine

Matthew Paris-Irvine is thrilled to be making his second appearance with Sarasvàti Productions! Last appearing in the Giving Voice tour, Matt is ecstatic to be touring again with such a powerful story.  A recent graduate of the Honours Acting program at the University of Winnipeg, selected past credits include: Time and The Conways, Concord Floral, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (University of Winnipeg); Tuesdays and Sundays (Beau Theatre Co); and The Laramie Project (Meraki Productions). He would like to thank those who have shared their stories and hopes this show can serve as a catalyst for even more voices to be emboldened.

 

Joanne Roberts

Joanne Roberts approaches acting like one does an extreme sport. A veteran of horror films, she most recently starred in a short film titled “Dead Bolt” produced by CBC. As a comédienne Joanne joined Théâtre Cercle Molière for their Manitoba tour of De Bouche à oreille. Not one to shy from away from drama, a notable performance was as Sawda in Wajdi Mouawad’s  Scorched. The Quill Newspaper stated that her performance “hit everyone in the theatre with intense emotion [.]” Joanne is proud of her work, but also of her studio where she coaches new artists. Many students have gone onto professional careers.

Denisse Samaniego

 

Denisse Samaniego is a Theatre and Education student at University of Winnipeg. As a part of the original cast of New Beginnings, she is excited to work with Sarasvàti Productions once again to bring you the revised version, Home 2.0. As an immigrant herself coming to Winnipeg at the age of 3, she finds the stories very close to her heart and is so honoured to be sharing these stories to all audiences.

 

 

 

Bennette Villones

Bennette Villones is just a girl who wants to inspire people and wants to pursue her dreams in the arts. To make and create art that’ll have an impact on people. A way to make people smile, laugh, feel understood, that they’re not alone and that they have a voice of their own they can share to world.

 

 

 

Home 2.0 has two public previews for audiences that may not be able to experience this show in a school. The first preview is the Graffiti Gallery (109 Higgins Ave) on October 11^th at 7PM (admission by donation). The second is on October 20^th 2018 at the Millennium Library at 7PM as part of the library’s teen program and requires registration on the library’s website. . For more information on the tour and previews, please contact Angelina at touring@sarasvati.ca or call the office at (204) 586-2236.