The Monster in All of Us

Who are you when you don’t know who you are? That’s the question Sarah Waisvicz asks in Monstrous.

Created and performed by Waisvicz, we’re incredibly excited to be featuring Monstrous in FemFest 2020: Engaging Community. Monstrous follows the protagonist’s journey across continents, centuries, and musical genres as she sifts through the facts and fictions of her mixed-up, mixed-race family history. Integrating storytelling, multi-genre dance, music, song, projections, and audience interaction, it is a quest for roots, remembrance, and belonging; it is also a cutting, hard-hitting provocation about “multiculturalism” in Canada. Monstrous is a startling wake-up call that puts pressure on how accepting we think we are.

Sarah is a playwright, dramaturge, and multi-disciplinary performer with training in dance and physical theatre (classical ballet, puppetry, acrobatics, stilts, West African dance styles). Her solo script to Monstrous, about the Afro-diaspora experience and mixed-race identity, was published in Alt.theatre 13.3 and the show has been performed in Montreal, Toronto, Philadelphia, and elsewhere. Sarah has been Artist-in-Residence at Great Canadian Theatre Company and at the National Arts Centre. Her most recent play Heartlines premiered to sold-out houses at Ottawa’s undercurrents festival.

“I was strongly moved by this piece — not leaving the studio with the same mindset I had upon entering… I found myself lost in thought about my background and place within this world. I felt as if I had also just explored my entire background and found a little more of myself in the process, too. If you are prepared for a deep, self-discovery performance — this play is a definite go see!” – Makinizi Hoover, Medium

In 2015, when Waisvicz began this project, she documented part of its development process. The full title was originally called Monstrous, or, The Miscegenation Advantage, and it was described as an “original 70-minute solo show: one woman, two races, four continents, and a suitcase full of secrets.” You can check out a video about the show’s development here.

“Waisvisc’s dynamic energy fills the minimalist set where music, projection and dance illustrate a global trek as stories, anecdotes, lies, hearsay and research are pulled from this trunk of family history.” Jennifer Cavanaugh, Apt613

In light of COVID-19, we’re excited to announce we’ll be moving forward with a virtual edition of Monstrous. Like previous reviewers, we know you’ll be moved by this show – no matter what part of the world you’re from. If you haven’t yet, be sure to watch the official Monstrous trailer and stay tuned on our website for the latest information on how to access FemFest programming.

The Tita Collective: Essential Reading

We are incredibly lucky to have the Tita Collective present their musical sketch revue hit, Tita Jokes, at this year’s FemFest. Although it may not be the usual live performance due to the current situation, it will still be hilarious and a must-see! An all-Filipina collective composed of award-winning playwrights, comedians, musicians, dancers, theatremakers and actors, the Tita Collective explores different mediums to tell the stories about the Filipinx diaspora.

The Tita Collective

Tita Collective won the 2019 Steamwhistle Producers’ Pick at the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival, Best Newcomer at the Montreal Sketch Comedy Festival, and the Second City Outstanding New Comedy Award.

To get you just as excited as us, we’ve gathered some interviews and videos of the Tita Collective (made up of Ann Paula Bautista, Belinda Corpuz, Isabel Kanaan, Ellie Posadas, Alia Rasul and Maricris Rivera). We highly recommend you watch and read the following and, as we get closer to FemFest, bookmark it so you can return to it again and again and again and… (you get the idea!)

Tita Collective: ‘We’re Like The Spice Girls Of Theatre,’ With A Filipino Twist
This article from the CBC tells you all the key facts about the Tita Collective and their show, from their origin story to their connection with each other.

Excerpt: “It’s a very inter-generational story. So our parents, our older aunts and uncles have come to the show . . . But even my niece and nephew who are eight and 11 years old also came to the show and they could still enjoy it and resonate with it and identify with that.”

5 Questions With… The Tita Collective
Get to know the Titas even better with this interview on comedy and Filipinx culture.

Excerpt: “Filipinas of our parents’ generations are some of the bravest people out there, and there’s a lot to learn from their journeys: from making the choice to leaving their communities behind to move to a strange new place and starting a new life, having to deal with racism, classism and sexism in degrees that today is unacceptable but back then was the norm, and all of this to provide for their families and to prop the Philippine economy up. It’s time that their bravery is recognized and honoured.”

FTV (Filipino TV) Exclusive Feature Tita Jokes at the 2019 Toronto Fringe Festival
This video features an interview with the Tita Collective spliced up with footage from their hilarious show.

“When we tell these stories I hear a lot of stories from people who aren’t Filipino, Filipina, or Filipinx and they’re like, ‘My sister-in-law is Filipina so I know what lumpia is,’ or, ‘I have lot of friends who are [Filipinx],’ so it just makes me feel like I’m not as invisible as I thought. This encouraged me to tell other people to tell their stories.”

#NowYouKnow YouTube Videos
#NowYouKnow is a series of videos the Tita Collective made that opens with a slide that says, “We asked titos and titas to explain a few words in Tagalog.” These short clips, featuring words like “ube” or “maganda,” are recommend by the Tita Collective to be watched before you see their show.

Kristina Guevarra

So there you have it: essential reading (and viewing, technically) for those of you who are soon-to-be fans of the Tita Collective! Keeping in mind COVID-19 protocols, we are currently working on some additional (and very exciting!) virtual programming with them. We’re also excited to announce Kristina Guevarra, a multidisciplinary Filipinx artist, will be coordinating a panel featuring Filipinx creatives. Be sure to check out our new FemFest 2020 page to stay up to date on how each show will be uniquely executed!

Three, Two, One… Launchpad!

Creating space for the emerging artists in our city and province is an integral part of Sarasvàti and FemFest’s mandate. Looking back at the success of last year’s Launchpad, we’re thrilled that with the support of RBC Foundation and the Graham C. Lount Foundation we are able to continue this program during the upcoming season. This year’s cohort will debut at FemFest 2020: Engaging Community but we hope to keep them involved with unique mentorship opportunities all season. If you’re unfamiliar, Launchpad brings together ten emerging women and non-binary artists whose creative mediums range from a variety of disciplines: directors, dancers, performers, playwrights, technical crew, etc… This team then takes part in intensive workshops (taught by Winnipeg theatre professionals) including movement work, vocal work, improvisation, devised theatre, and writing. 

Like last year, the Launchpad team will produce material to be premiered at FemFest. However, the exciting change from this year is that these emerging artists will present climate change focused work as a walking tour in downtown Winnipeg. Using short scripts from Chantal Bilodeau (our FemFest guest artist!) or creating their own unique pieces.  

Returning to facilitate and coordinate the Launchpad are Victoria Hill and Lindsay Johnson. Lindsay Johnson is a Winnipeg-based actor, director, writer, and animal-lover. With a love of both devised and classical theatre, Lindsay has enjoyed working as a Director/Assistant Director on several projects including Purge (Geritheatrics), Little Dead Lady (Naked Theatre Productions), Home 2.0. (Sarasvàti Productions) Richard III (Shakespeare in the Ruins), and Vinegar Tom (University of Winnipeg).  

Victoria Emilie Hill is a creator, mover, and actor based in Winnipeg, Treaty 1 Territory.  She is passionate about work that focuses on movement and the body as a place we hold and tell stories.  She is curious about the myriad ways we express and communicate with ourselves, our environments, and other creatures. Victoria is honoured to be working on the Launchpad Project again this year and looks forward to learning from these new collaborators.   

Both Victoria and Lindsay are ecstatic to be helping a new group of theatre artists break through and showcase their work at FemFest. 

Without further ado, here are the ensemble members for this year’s Launchpad: 

• • Kate Willoughby   
  • Anna Verbytska   
  • Kristian Cahatol  
  • Emma Welham  
  • Kimmy Martin  
  • Sarah Luby  
  • Taylor Gregory   
  • Lindsey Taylor   
  • Brittney Fredrickson   
  • Tara Streilein  
  • Plus Caitlyn Seymour, as a junior member 

We’re so excited to see what this talented group of artists will create together. We know it will be great! And, while we have you here, don’t forget to check our website for updates on FemFest 2020!  

The Rest of the Fest: Announcing The Full FemFest 2020 Program

Two weeks ago, we announced the touring artists of FemFest 2020: Engaging Community. While we’re so excited for those three incredible shows (Tita Jokes, bug, and Monstrous), the festival wouldn’t be complete without our in-house productions. Without further ado, here are the shows and events rounding out the rest of our planned programming for FemFest 2020. 

Alice and the World We Live In  
By Alexandria Haber 
Alice stands frozen on a dangerous mountain pass. Paralyzed, unable to move forward or turn back, she is suspended between multiple possibilities of what could have been and what is. Inspired by the topsy-turvy world Alice encounters in Wonderland when she falls down the rabbit hole, this moving allegory explores a woman’s struggle to push through the grief of losing the love of her life to a random act of terror. Echoing our collective fear of what lies ahead in these tumultuous and uncertain times, the play exalts our indefatigable resilience and endless capacity to love, once we find the courage to let go. 

 

Readings
The View From Here
By Hannah Foulger 
A new piece of documentary theatre about the Grandview School for Girls in Cambridge, ON – an examination of the institutional abuse that occurred there and its impact on the community.   

Agency 
By barb janes  
For those who attended last year’s Bake-Off – this was the audience selection to receive development and a reading. 
Three “orphan” girls from three different eras and three different countries: Louisa (a British Home Child), Annie (a sixties scoop adoptee) and Natasha (adopted from Romania). Plagued by issues of abandonment and belonging, the three friends search for their mothers, their identity and their own agency.   

 

Chantal Bilodeau

Guest Artist
Chantal Bilodeau  
Chantal Bilodeau is a Montreal-born, New York-based playwright and translator, whose work focuses on the intersection of science, policy, art, and climate change. Her plays and translations have been presented in a dozen countries around the world, and she is a recipient of the Woodward International Playwriting Prize as well as the First Prize in the Earth Matters on Stage Ecodrama Festival and the Uprising National Playwriting Competition. She serves as the Artistic Director of The Arctic Cycle and is currently at work on a series of eight plays that look at the social and environmental changes taking place in the eight Arctic states.    

 

 

A snapshot from the 2018 Bake-Off

Bake-Off 
Coordinated and directed by Cairn Moore 
In partnership with the Manitoba Association of Playwrights.
Feast your eyes on the annual Bake-Off. We challenge selected playwrights with a list of ingredients and eight hours to cook up their own fantastic theatrical feasts! The results are an abundance of laughs and entertaining surprises. Plus, the audience gets to select the winner. 

(Psst… we’re still accepting submissions for Bake-Off. More details here!) 

 

The Launchpad Walking Tour
Yes, we are bringing back our emerging artist initiative and combining it with our

A shot from last year’s walking tour!

walking tour. Short performances will tackle the theme of climate change. Next week’s blog will feature the announcement of this year’s ensemble.  

You can also expect fantastic opening and closing night cabarets featuring local artists and lots of laughs.  

So there you have it: FemFest 2020 is certain to be one to remember! Be sure to check out the FemFest page on our website regularly for information about ticket prices, performers, and how each show will be executed in regards to current health protocols. Although things will shift based on what September brings, we are committed to following through on this exciting programming in a unique way!  

New Year, Same Us

It is officially a new year AND a new decade! Happy New Year and welcome to 2020!

2019 has come and gone which means the second half of our 19/20 season is underway. We are so excited to tell you a little bit about what we have in store for all of you in the upcoming months…

---

International Women’s Week 2020 Cabaret of Monologues: Changes

Have you heard? Our annual Cabaret of Monologues is happening from March 2-8, 2020! We have been doing our best to update you on our performers and playwrights, if you’ve missed any of our past blogs, you can meet some of this year’s artists HERE and HERE.

This year we have monologues but also music, dance, mime, and comedy!

Stay tuned for our tour schedule, but in the meantime, tickets are now available for our public performance on Saturday, March 7, 2020 at 4pm and 8pm. Get your tickets HERE!

---

Workshops

As always, we have a ton of workshops in the works for you for 2020. Have you registered for our Movement for Actors Workshop with Ali Robson? This workshop will take place on January 19^th, 2020 for $25. If you want more info, click HERE, if you want to register email liz@sarasvati.ca

It doesn’t end there! Coming soon, we will be hosting workshops on the following topics…

Accessibility in Theatre Panel, April 4^th, 2020

Diversity Panel, February 16^th, 2020

Fringe Production 101, May 16^th, 2020

And more!

---

Jo MacDonald

Reconciliation Through Theatre

We completed our Seven Visions workshops in 2019, now comes the process of creating one big final production! We are so excited to be working with Playwright Jo MacDonald and Director Tracey Nepinak to create our final performance piece for May 2020!

The performance, entitle Songide’ewin (Courage), will take place at The Forks and feature art created by youth during our workshops. We are so excited to share the voices of Winnipeg’s youth and tell a story of reconciliation in a time that gravely needs it.

More on the reconciliation project HERE!

---

As we move in to the fall of 2020, we will actually be launching our 20^th season in Winnipeg!! Yep, we’ve been creating transformative theatre for two decades. This anniversary season will see the transition to a new Artistic Director, new community-building processes, and some of our usual offerings.

---

School Tour

Every second year we hit the road with an interactive performance, using Forum Theatre principles. It is an amazing way to engage youth in a discussion about how to be active participants in their community. This year’s touring show will be built from the material gathered as part of our Reconciliation Through Theatre project. Stay tuned for full details.

---

FemFest 2020

And of course, 2020 will play host to our 18^th annual FemFest! 18 years of transformative feminist theatre AND counting! As always, the festival won’t happen until September, but the work starts now as we begin to read scripts and performance pieces and choose our line-up for the 2020 festival.

---

Thank you all for making 2019 such a fantastic year, here’s to 2020 and all of the exciting new theatre to come!

---

 

A Year in Review

What a year it has been! As 2019 comes to a close, we reflect on all the wonderful successes the year brought. Some of which, we will carry on into 2020…

---

International Women’s Week 2019 Cabaret of Monologues: Here I Am

It might sound odd to hear about our last Cabaret of Monologues as the 2020 line-up has already been announced, but it’s a year ago already that the last round of monologues were in the works and preparing for the 2019 tour!

We were so grateful and fortunate to take the cabaret to places we had never gone before! Such as the Women’s Resource Centre in Flin Flon and Aurora house in The Pas. We also took every single one of our monologues to The Canadian Museum of Human Rights for an evening. This tour was incredibly rewarding and we can’t wait to do it all again in a few short months!

Interested in this year’s monologues? Public performance tickets are on sale now. Get them HERE!

---

Workshops

Every year, we host a set schedule of fun and educational workshops for the theatre community. In 2019, we were happy to host five workshops.

This included workshops with panelists like Queering Theatre and How to Make a Living in Theatre. Both allowed us to try out a more inclusive approach with professionals talking amongst workshop participants.

Our annual One Night Stand Series also played a role in 2019 as playwrights were able to meet and work together to improve and workshop their craft.

FemFest 2019 hosted some workshops of it’s own! The Launchpad Project was initiated as a pilot project. It allowed a group of emerging artists to work with established professionals to create and perform their own production, To Kill a Lizard, during FemFest 2019. As well, our guest artist, Yvette Nolan hosted a playwriting masterclass, which culminated in Leaping Off the Page! Where playwrights were able to create and share work, then have it read aloud before an audience.

We also loved working with community groups to use theatre techniques in training settings. A big thank you to SEED Winnipeg, Nor’West Youth Hub, St. John’s High School, and the Manitoba Drama Educators Association for welcoming us!

Find upcoming workshop details HERE!

---

Seven Visions

On top of our regular workshop schedule, we were happy to start our Reconciliation Through Theatre project! Last spring we hosted consultation circles, then a public sharing with the reading of Jo MacDonald’s OUR HOME & native land. This important community-building work then allowed us to appropriately structure arts-based workshops at seven Indigenous youth organizations all in the name of Reconciliation.

The seven organizations were, Children of the Earth High School, Wahbung Abinoonjiiag, Ndinawe, Knowles Centre, Manitoba Youth Centre, Marymound, and Indigenous Leadership Development Institute.

All of the art created and stories shared are in the works to be curated into a final piece, Songide’ewin, which will be performed at The Forks in May, 2020. You can find more on the upcoming performance HERE!

---

FemFest

Of course, that brings us to FemFest 2019. Our annual festival of transformative feminist theatre! 2019 brought a whole new range of performances to FemFest.

For the first time in FemFest history, we were happy to host a visually impaired performer and her guide dog for, Raising Stanley/Life with Tulia. This production was moving and inspiring for audience members. We were even fortunate enough to host 4 visually impaired spectators and their guide dogs! Who wouldn’t love that?

Pop Art made its debut at FemFest 2019 as well. 4inXchange with company xLq was a unique interactive performance involving only 4 audience members and $1000 cash!

Lastly, Like Mother, Like Daughter warmed our hearts as local Winnipeg Indigenous and Newcomer mother/daughter pairs sat down in front of an audience and answered intimate questions.

FemFest has always had a way of bringing people together and celebrating various types of Canadian theatre, but this year it truly excelled!

The process of FemFest 2020 begins now! We can’t wait to show you what we have in store…

---

So long 2019, you were a good year for theatre! We hope your year was as good to you as it was to us. We wish you all nothing but the best for 2020 and look forward to sharing more transformative theatre with you in the months to come.

See you next year!

---

 

Until Next Year, FemFest

It takes a village… to run a festival! We would like to extend a huge “Thank You” to everyone who helped make FemFest 2019: All the World’s a Stage possible! To our performers, playwrights, facilitators, directors, stage managers, choreographers, volunteers, donors and spectators, FemFest would not have been possible without all of you.

If you made it out to FemFest 2019 as a spectator this year, thank you! We hope you enjoyed this year’s programming of unique and progressive theatre. If you weren’t able to make it out, no worries! There’s always next year and all of the years to come.

This year 110artists and production folks made the festival happen. Add to that 39 volunteers working on site. We sold out our Bake-Off, sold out our first Like Mother, Like Daughter showing, and broke a record with our raffle! Over 1,200 people came out and with intimate shows that could only seat 4 people that’s pretty impressive. We packed 46 scheduled events in to 8 days and we certainly needed time to recover after.

From the eventful opening cabaret to the closing reception, we have compiled photos from this year’s festival for your viewing pleasure! Take a look…

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We also want to hear what your highlights were this year and what you would like to see more of in the future – send us an e-mail, tag us in social media, or heck even feel free to give us a call!

As the age old saying goes, “When one door closes, another one opens.” With FemFest 2019 closed, we now start looking into the future and ask artists from across Canada to submit for FemFest 2020! Submissions are open until the end of November, giving us plenty of time to review your hard work and make decisions for next year’s festival. See the call for scripts and proposals below…

FemFest 2020: Engaging Community- Celebrating Winnipeg’s 18th Festival of Life-Changing Theatre for Everyone

We are currently seeking submissions of scripts for production, short performance pieces for various showcases and expressions of interest from artists with unique ideas for engaging community. Our focus this year will be on productions and processes that build bridges with new artists or partners. All submissions must be from Canadian women. We use an inclusive definition of “woman” and “female” and we welcome pieces created by all who fit under either of these categories/identifiers. Technical and set requirements must be minimal due to the festival setting. A reading committee will assess submissions in order to program a balanced festival.

For more information on how to submit, visit our website HERE!

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up to date on the rest of the season, including our Art of Reconciliation Fundraiser coming up in just two and a half weeks- Tickets available HERE.

From all of us at Sarasvàti Productions, thank you again for such a successful 17^th annual FemFest. We can’t wait to see you next year!

The Fest so Far

Sold out performances, a glitter-filled opening night, home-made cookies at the Bake-Off – we are more than halfway done FemFest 2019! As always, it is a bittersweet feeling. The fest has been a wonderful experience so far with plenty of highlights and thoughts to share. We asked two Sarasvàti employees to share their experience working towards and during the festival.

In May 2019, we brought on two new team members to help with the preparation of FemFest. Sami Desiree worked as a Production Assistant for the festival and Brooklyn Kilfoyle worked as the Marketing and Communications Assistant. The whole experience has been an exciting and informative experience for both as their work finally comes to life before their eyes.

“It’s surreal, I’ve always attended theatre festivals and productions in the past but I had no idea just how much hard work goes into it” said Kilfoyle who has worked in the industry mostly as an actor and playwright.

“There are so many moving parts. It is truly inspiring to watch strong, hard working women be an integral part of the process” said Desiree who manages her own theatre company Beau Theatre Co.

Some highlights from the festival so far include the annual Bake-Off that completely sold-out! Congratulations to Barb Janes, this year’s winning playwright. Another highlight was the front row of the opening for Raising Stanley/Life with Tulia, we had the pleasure of hosting three audience members accompanied by their guide dogs right in the front row! The Launchpad Project features emerging artists and so far, it has been a success. This group made a production out of nothing but their own creativity and dedication, bravo Launchpad!

Having the opportunity to share theatrical art with ASL Interpretation is something Sarasvàti is very proud of. Inclusiveness is key! We are offering one last ASL Interpreted production for Like Mother, Like Daughter tonight at 6:30! Another program we are proud to offer this year was child minding! Free childcare during 3 selected performances. We have 2 performances left with child minding being offered, Baby Box at 8:30 on September 20^th and Like Mother, Like Daughter at 2pm on September 21^st. If you’d like to take advantage of childminding, call (204) 586-2236 or email us at info@sarasvati.ca. 24 hours’ notice is required to guarantee adequate staffing.

When asked what have been highlights for the FemFest new blood, here’s what they had to say:

“It’s been a major highlight to have the opportunity to connect with artists from all over Canada. To speak with them about what they are doing in their community with their art. It’s been my favourite part so far.”- Sami Desiree, Production Assistant.

“Hearing the audience members as they come out of the theatre, discussing what they just saw and sharing thoughts and praise, it feels good to part of something that is so positive in the community.”- Brooklyn Kilfoyle, Marketing and Community Outreach Assistant.

Both women expressed their gratitude for having the opportunity to make FemFest 2019 a reality and both plan to continue working with Sarasvàti in the future.

There are still 3 days left to enjoy FemFest 2019: All the World’s a Stage so if you’ve been waiting, now’s the time to go!

The remaining FemFest schedule:

September 19^th:
5:00- 4inXchange
6:30- Like Mother, Like Daughter
7:00- 4inXchange
8:30- Baby Box
9:00- 4inXchange

September 20^th:
2:00- Like Mother, Like Daughter
3:00- 4inXchange
5:00- 4inXchange
6:30- Like Mother, Like Daughter
7:00- 4inXchange
8:30- Baby Box
9:00- 4inXchange
10:00- Bastard Reading

September 21^st:
1:00- 4inXchange
2:00- Like Mother, Like Daughter
3:00- 4inXchange
3:30- All Winnipeg’s a Stage Walking Art Tour
5:00- 4inXchange
6:30- Like Mother, Like Daughter
7:00- 4inXchange
8:30- Leaping Off the Page with Yvette Nolan

Book your advance tickets HERE or call (204) 586-2236 to reserve!

Everyone and Their Mother

Local Winnipeg mother/daughter pairs will play part in FemFest 2019: All the World’s a Stage! Like Mother, Like Daughter is coming to FemFest this year as one of our touring shows, with Why Not Theatre and Complicité Creative Learning. However all the mother and daughter participants are local.  Like Mother, Like Daughter takes real life mothers and daughters and through workshops, coffee dates and baking, build a production while still maintaining the improvised and authentic conversation on stage. This year, we have gathered indigenous and immigrant Winnipeg mother/daughter pairs for the production!

Not only will you have the opportunity to sit in on a genuine and real conversation between the mother and daughter pairs, but each performance will be followed by a sit down dinner where audience members will have the chance to dine with the participants and continue conversation. A big shout out to Diversity Food Services for the yummy food that will be provided.

---

Now a brief introduction to the Mothers and Daughters…

Shirine Ali & Sabrina Bahadoosingh

Sabrina grew up in Winnipeg. She worked with (ISSA) Islamic Social Services Association as Operations Manager and managed several programs for newcomers and refugees. Shirine migrated to Winnipeg, Canada from Trinidad in the Caribbean in the mid- seventies. Shirine became a Family Therapist and has worked in the field for over twenty-five years.

Rubina Atif & Saleha Komal

Rubina Atif is from Pakistan and has been living in Canada for the last seven years with her 3 children while her husband was serving in the Pakistani Air Force. Saleha and Rubina love nature, Winnipeg’s prairie skies and the sunsets that come with it.

Dina Maranan & Mary Nadine Maranan

the weekday you can find Dina working away at Pollard Banknote and Nadine on the 4th floor of the science library at the University of Manitoba. After a long day, the two are brought together by a big bag of dill pickle popcorn ready to catch up on the latest episode of Jane the Virgin.

Mary Alice Smith & Danielle Morrison

‘Niiobinessiik’ Danielle Morrison and ‘Waasegiizhigok’ Mary Alice Smith have been mother and daughter for 33 years, mostly spent in Treaty 3 territory. Danielle is Mary Alice’s youngest, and almost like an only child even though she has 8 siblings.

Hazel Perrie & Victoria Perrie

Hazel and Victoria Perrie are Manitoba grown Metis/Swampy Cree/Icelandic/English women. They have primarily resided on Treaty 1 Territory and are from the Wolf Clan. They come from a long line of very strong matriarchs, with lineage back to the arrival of the colonizers.

Sybil Ramprashad & Shereen Ramprashad

I am a Colonial child born in 1943 in British Guyana. I came to Canada in 1965 to London Ontario, two London’s were never so different. My career has been mostly in the Fashion Industry working for some Canada’s Leading Clothing Companies. Miss Shereen, a dyslexic, self-taught Canadian writer based out of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Her writings are a lively blend of performance, wit, intelligent metaphor with under currents of subtext and observation.

April Seenie & Sienna Seenie

April Seenie is Anishnaabe (Ojibway), a mother, nursing student, and actor from Roseau River Anishnaabe Nation, raised in Winnipeg. Currently, she works for the St. Amant Centre and the First Nation Health & Social Secretariat of Manitoba, while he continues within the nursing program at Red River College. Sienna Henderson-Seenie is an Anishnaabe/Cree student, actor and dancer. She will be entering grade 11 and aspires to become a veterinarian.

Aisha Tahir, Tianna Natalya Wells, and Zaina Wells

We’re a trio with a Fommy and a pair of Irish twins. We are dramatic, multilingual and full of spicy Pakistani and Trinidadian flavours. Our family is definitely a unique one with our stories of adventures on the trains, subways and planes. We embrace all weird qualities and appropriate them for our unique individual selves.

Lucy Kaikai & Marvel Yeboah-Appiah

L: I came to Canada 15 years ago, a few months pregnant with my daughter. I was excited to be reunited with family in Canada, after living on a refugee camp, in Ghana, for almost seven years. M: I’m very thankful for my mother because she has done the best for me all my life. Who knew I would play over five instruments, work as a missionary or learn another language.

For the mother/daughter full bios, visit the show page HERE.

---

Like Mother, Like Daughter has 5 shows during FemFest…

September 19^th 6:30pm
September 20^th 2:00pm
September 20^th 6:30pm
September 21^st 2:00pm
September 21^st 6:30pm

The mothers and daughters have already met over a potluck meal and to bake bannock together. Rehearsals are continuing and we can not wait for you to see some authentic theatre with our own local participants!

To buy tickets visit our website HERE or call (204) 586-2236 to reserve!

FemFest 2019: All the World’s a Stage starts in only 2 days!

The Count Down to FemFest 2019

The count down to FemFest is on and we want to share some tips and tricks on how to prepare for the festival! In this blog, we will cover everything that is FemFest2019, from performances and tickets to venue and parking. We want to make sure that FemFest 2019 is a fun, informative, moving and safe experience for all performers and attendees.

DON’T BE DISAPPOINTED!
First thing’s first, productions. Have you taken a visit to our website yet and scheduled which performances you plan on attending? We understand that you’re busy, this is why we offer a variety of matinee and evening performances both on weekdays and weekends throughout the FemFest week. It’s important to take a look at the SCHEDULE in advance, so you can plan accordingly and make sure you can attend the performances that interest you most! Purchase or reserve your tickets in advance to ensure the time you have selected will not sell out. A spotlight production on booking in advance is 4inXchange. An interactive performance that allows only 4 audience members per performance, so booking in advance is crucial! You can find more information on 4inXchange, HERE.

GETTING THERE
Another topic we want to discuss is transportation. Luckily, there are plenty of bus routes surrounding the University of Winnipeg’s Asper Centre for Theatre and Film. If you’re a driver, parking Downtown can be stressful. Street parking is offered for $2.50 an hour, or free after 5:30PM on weekdays, on Saturdays you are given two complimentary hours and Sundays are completely free! If you would prefer to park your car in a lot, the University has plenty of parking lots surrounding and within walking distance. You can find a map to these parking lots on our website, HERE.

ACCESSIBILITY
Did you know that FemFest also offers ASL Interpretation for most of our shows? Baby Box, The Launchpad, Raising Stanley/Life with Tulia and Like Mother, Like Daughter each offer one ASL Interpreted performance per show! The dates of these shows are as follows:

Raising Stanley/Life with Tulia: September 15^th 2:00pm
Launchpad: September 17^th 8:30pm
Baby Box: September 18^th 8:30pm
Like Mother, Like Daughter: September 19^th 6:30pm

SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT
Join the cast of Baby Box following their performance on September 20^th for a live discussion on the themes of the play. Share your own thoughts, opinions and interpretations. As well, a special panel talk-back will be offered following the Raising Stanley/Life with Tulia performance on September 15^th, with community members working in the community to make the world a little more accessible for all.

INCLUSIVE
Our main venue, The Asper Centre for Theatre and Film, is accessible with gender-neutral restrooms. We want to make sure that anyone and everyone can enjoy the festival in a safe and welcoming environment!

Click HERE for an informative video covering all things FemFest and Downtown Winnipeg!

For updates on Sarasvàti and FemFest, be sure to check out our website HERE and follow our social media accounts on TWITTER, FACEBOOK and on Instagram at @sarasvati_wpg. See you in 9 days!