World Theatre Day at Home

“Together, let’s transform the stage into a world of echoes, a world where laughter, pain, brutality, gentleness and complexity can all spring forth.” – Geneviève Pelletier, World Theatre Day Canadian Message

This year, we celebrate World Theatre Day from the comfort of our own homes. In these uncertain times it’s important to keep the arts alive, and to continue to live and fully experience every single day. We may no longer be able to gather in groups, but we can keep the spirit of Canadian theatre alive online!

World Theatre Day was brought to life in 1961 by International Theatre Institute and occurs every year on March 27^th by theatre communities around the world. This day is meant to celebrate the power of theatre as a bridge for international understanding and peace. Every year, this day brings together theatre lovers from around the globe to celebrate and appreciate the art.

Manitoba’s very own Geneviève Pelletier, is the author of this year’s Canadian message. Geneviève is an Actor, Director and Artistic and Executive Director of Winnipeg’s Cercle Molière Theatre. You can check out the full message in French or English on Playwright’s Guild of Canada’s website [https://playwrightsguild.ca/world-theatre-day/] For more inspiration, this year’s international message is by Pakistan’s leading Playwright Shahid Nadeem [https://www.world-theatre-day.org/messageauthor.html]. “In South Asia, the artists touch with reverence the floor of the stage before stepping onto it, an ancient tradition when the spiritual and the cultural were intertwined. It is time to regain that symbiotic relationship between the artist and the audience, the past and the future.”

The Playwrights Guild of Canada is offering a “Play Reading Relay” to celebrate the day, “The show must go on…line.” 29 different playwrights will livestream 10-minute readings from their plays over the course of 7 hours! Running from 10am-5pm Central time. You can find the line-up of plays by clicking HERE and find the Zoom link by clicking HERE! This is an amazing way to bring folks together to celebrate theatre and a creative way to spend a good chunk of the day at home!

There are many other ways you can celebrate World Theatre Day this year. Read a play, write down future ideas, join in a livestream, watch a production online or simply discuss the world of theatre today with a friend. These are all amazing ways you can celebrate the day from home. You can read more about World Theatre Day and how you can celebrate on the World Theatre Day website, HERE.

It’s important to keep our spirits lifted and theatre in motion. We hope you are all staying safe and healthy and wish everyone a Happy World Theatre Day! Don’t forget if you’re looking for more discussion on accessibility in theatre, we are hosting an online webinar/discussion through Zoom on accessibility on April 4^th! Join in the conversation or simply watch and listen. Email info@sarasvati.ca to register and for full details.

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Keeping the Arts Alive

In light of recent events surrounding the COVID-19 virus, we find ourselves with a myriad of questions and dilemmas. The arts industry has taken a huge hit and will continue to be effected during this time of social distancing. There are plenty of things you can do in order to help support local companies taking a hit.

The virus outbreak affects us all. Specifically in the theatre community, most companies in Canada have had to either reschedule, postpone or cancel productions for an unforeseen amount of time. This is a huge issue as it forces people out of work, from the performers on stage to the crew behind the scenes. So the question is, what can we do? How do we help? Some ways you can help the industry to stay afloat is through donations. For example, if you purchased tickets for a cancelled production, consider donating the refunded money back to the theatre. In need of childcare or freelance work? Consider hiring an arts industry worker for the time being. This will not only give them work, but assists with your own needs.

If you are an artist put out of work, consider reaching out to folks who may be in need of childcare during the school and daycare closures. Take this time to reflect on past work and create new work! Lots of arts companies have created online systems to host virtual workshops, book clubs, classes and more to keep you busy, occupied and creative. Some examples can be found HERE and HERE. Keeping up a routine is most important in not letting isolation get the best of you during this time of stress.

Spread kindness, understanding and positivity. In the face of a pandemic, anxieties and panic can be high. It is crucial to stay calm and do what you need to do in order to keep yourself and those around you positive and safe. Be sure to do your research and know the facts of the virus and how it has affected your area. Follow health regulatory body directives. Wash your hands regularly, avoid unnecessary social interaction and mass gatherings, strive for a balanced approach and if you are feeling ill seek medical attention and avoid contact with others. Find creative ways to fill any void knowing that we will soon come together again to connect through the arts.

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At this time, we have not cancelled or postponed our May 2020 performance of Songide’ewin. It is a huge initiative and we will wait to see how all the amazing action to flatten the curve pans out, then make an informed decision when and if it becomes necessary. In the meantime, you can support the work by purchasing tickets for the performance at The Forks. You can read more about the project through our website HERE! If you’re interested in group bookings, please call (204) 586-2236 or email us at info@sarasvati.ca

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As for our Accessibility On Stage and Off, our roundtable discussion with Arts AccessAbility Network Manitoba and Sick + Twisted Theatre on April 4th, we are currently exploring ways to bring the discussion to you virtually! Stay tuned for updates and developments coming soon. Then tune in and join in the discussion.

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Cabaret in Review

This year’s International Women’s Week Cabaret of Monologues tour took us all around Winnipeg and surrounding cities/towns. Our travels were filled with inspiration, excitement and meaningful experiences. All eight of our pieces went out on the road to share the transformative stories of the women in this year’s line-up.

Sadie-Phoenix Lavoie Performing at Sunshine House

Many women’s groups around the cities welcomed us into their spaces to share our monologues. North End Women’s Centre hosted an event and invited three of our performers to share their pieces with the staff and clientele. CTV Winnipeg made an appearance at North End Women’s Centre and interviewed our artists to cover International Women’s Week! Other amazing women’s groups we were happy to visit were Sage House and Women’s Health Clinic.

waNda wilsoN performing at St. John’s Library

Our monologues were not limited to women’s organizations. We were happy to visit other community groups and venues. Sunshine House and Rainbow Resource Centre are two organizations with an open inclusivity mandate and advocacy for LGBTQ+ issues. Both welcomed our artists with open arms and open discussion. A disabilities class at The University of Winnipeg welcomed our Deaf performer, Joanna Hawkins in to perform her mime piece for students in a more intimate setting. St. John’s Library, a local staple in our North End Community, welcomed our musical performer waNda wilsoN for

Lizzie Knowles performing at CMHR

a special and intimate performance. We were honoured to bring five of our monologues to The Canadian Museum for Human Rights on their First Friday’s free event night. Our pieces on the subject of “Change” were a perfect fit in an institution that promotes and supports human rights.

We love expanding beyond Winnipeg and our first road trip took us to Steinbach for a performance hosted by Agape House during an evening dedicated to raising funds for

Genesis House, Winkler

this important shelter. On the final leg of our tour, we took one group of monologues to Winkler and another group to Altona! Both performances were for special Women’s Day events. Sadie-Phoenix Lavoie’s spoken word ‘Traumatic Resilience’ and waNda wilsoN’s music about not giving up and remembering those who have been lost to us, were the

Performers and Staff in Altona

perfect bookends to a moving presentation by Wilma Derksen and Odia Reimer in benefit of Genesis House women’s shelter. Meanwhile in Altona our performers were invited to judge a “fancy hat” competition! It was the perfect way to celebrate International Women’s Day and the end of our tour.

These eleven community performances were in addition to the two full performances of all the pieces in a theatre setting on March 7^th. Here we welcomed almost two hundred audience members to experience the work.

All-in-all, our International Women’s Week was a success! The subject of Changes is so relevant to today’s society and to being a woman in this day and age. It doesn’t end here, we need to continue to share the conversation and support women in the arts every day of the year. We are so grateful to have the opportunity to work with local performers and artists and help to showcase their art across the city and across the province. We can’t wait for next year!

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Accessing Diverse Theatre

Accessibility and Diversity are two burning topics in society right now. Especially in the theatre community, we are trying more and more everyday to make our spaces more accessible and diverse. But what does that mean? What does it look like?

On February 16^th, we were happy to host a panel on Diversity with Out From Under the Rug Theatre Collective. Established in 2019, Out From Under The Rug Theatre Collective is focused on creating works by, for, and about people of colour. Based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Out From Under The Rug intends to highlight the experiences of those whose voices often go unheard – or more often told to stop talking. As a collective, their goal is to emphasize a dedication to safe and accessible spaces. They would like to acknowledge our privilege of living, working, and creating on the traditional lands of The Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene Peoples and the Homeland of the Metis Nation. Visit them on Facebook HERE!

Panel discussions included topics such as, creating works of theatre with characters of colour where their ethnicity is not their entire personality. As well as how to create these characters and describe said characters when the playwright doesn’t share the same ethnicity. Panelists touched on the importance of representation in the arts and media, they specifically spoke on being a person of colour and how it feels to see yourself represented on the screen and on the stage. Out From Under the Rug’s member Sophie Smith-Dostmohamed described herself in childhood only ever wanting to watch the Disney film “Aladdin” as it was the only place she saw characters that looked like her, further emphasizing the need for representation.

During this panel, we were able to open up a conversation in a safe space about diversity in the theatre industry, where it’s headed and how we can improve. This panel was open to all and free of charge in a physically accessible building (wheelchair accessible, gender neutral restrooms, ASL interpretation). To further the conversation on diversifying theatre and allowing for more accessibility; not only in audiences but also for performers, we will be hosting a roundtable on accessibility on April 4^th!

Accessibility On Stage and Off will occur on April 4^th, 2020 from 2pm-4pm at the Cargill Boardroom at RMTC. Sarasvàti Productions, Arts AccessAbility Network and Sick + Twisted theatre will host a discussion on the subject of accessibility in theatre. This discussion will be lead by a panel of disability advocates. The discussion hopes to open a conversation on accessibility, what it means to be accessible and how we can improve on what theatres in Winnipeg are doing to make their spaces more accessible. We plan to discuss the importance beyond just the audience’s accessibility and touch on accessibility for performers.

Stay tuned for more on the Accessibility workshop coming soon! For more information on upcoming workshops visit our website HERE.

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