2018: A Look Back

We’ve had another amazing year here at Sarasvàti Productions! It was a season of workshops and life-changing theatre, promoting empathy and understanding to audiences across Manitoba! Check out some of our highlights from the past year.

WORKSHOPS FOR EMERGING ARTISTS

This year we had over ten workshops for emerging artists, including The Artist’s Voice with Tom Soares, Monologue Intensive with Sharon Bajer, and Devising from the Real World with FemFest artist Norah Paton! We also had our Coffee with a Pro mentorship series, pairing emerging artists with a pro in the field to talk shop over coffee. In 2018, we had sessions like Dramaturgy with Brian Drader, Playwriting with Ellen Peterson and Ginny Collins, and Producing with Brenda McLean! We also hosted our “Mental Health in Theatre” Panel back in November, starting an important dialogue we hope to continue.

SHARING THE STORIES OF UNSTOPPABLE WOMEN

Our International Women’s Week Cabaret of Monologues saw the stories of incredible women living through riots, learning to teach yoga as a senior, accepting their true selves, and conquering all odds. New work was created by up-and-coming stand-up comic Anjali Sandhu as well as trans advocate Cynthia Fortlage. Aboriginal artist Kristy Janvier traveled from Flin Flon to present a new piece. We also welcomed Joanna Hawkins of 100 Decibels to perform a solo mime work. This was also our first year offering ASL interpretation.

WORKSHOPS FOR NORTH END YOUTH

This year, we brought theatre workshops to the students of Gonzaga Middle School and Children of the Earth High School, where students currently don’t have access to drama programs. Students were taught the basics of playwriting, directing, improvisation, and set design.

NEW BEGINNINGS ON STAGE

The Cast of New Beginnings

and Home 2.0!

Two years ago, we began a series of workshops and community interviews, hearing from newcomers and immigrants to Canada about their experiences with resettling in a new country. In May of this year, we got to bring those stories to life with the world premiere of New Beginnings, featuring a blend of dance, film, and theatre. An interactive touring show focusing on youth experiences, Home 2.0, launched in the fall! Over 4,700 youth and teachers across Manitoba were exposed to the work that helped promote empathy and understanding.

PUTTING THE ‘FUN’ IN FUNDRAISING

Angie St. Mars

Dione C. Haynes

Mayran Kalah

We got to try something a little different this year with a spring fundraiser produced and organized by Delta Hirsch. It was a sit-down dinner at Forth that paired Perogies and Puns! Local comedians Mike Green and Angie St. Mars tickled funny bones while chef Keith Csabak treated folks to five courses of gourmet perogies. Then in November, we brought back our annual Women’s Comedy Night Fundraiser for its third year! Elissa Kixen of WOKE Comedy Hour produced this incredible event showcasing a diverse line-up of women comics.

FEMFEST CELEBRATES 16 YEARS!

The Cast of The Game

Emilie Lemay at Wesley Hall

Sound of the Beast

In 2018 we showcased our sixteenth annual festival of plays that put women’s stories in the spotlight! We got to travel to Burning Man with Norah Paton’s Burnt, hear from a young Cree teenager with White Man’s Indian, watch Donna-Michelle St. Bernard speak truth to power with Sound of the Beast, and witness the beautiful blend of Indian dance and theatre with The Game! Alissa Watson brought home our 2018 Bake-Off Prize with her winning scene, The Switch. We also got to explore downtown Winnipeg’s hidden gems with our first-ever Walking Art Tour. We’ve already started brainstorming for 2019, so stay tuned!

Thanks to everyone who made this past year such a success. We’re so excited to talk about what we have coming up in 2019, starting with our International Women’s Week Cabaret of Monologues in March! We’ll keep you posted with more updates on all the great events you can look forward to this coming year.

 

New Beginnings and Endings

After two years of community interviews and workshops, the world premiere of New Beginnings took Winnipeg by storm! Over the course of the run, we had multiple sold-out shows and over 750 people came to see the play. Every performance offered a conversation circle to continue the dialogue sparked by this production, allowing audiences the chance to ask questions and learn more about the stories reflected in New Beginnings. Here are some of the great things people had to say!

“It was wonderful, I cried and laughed. Those stories are so powerful. The first one with the burka is how we escaped.  I actually wore one for the first time in my life then. You guys did a great job bringing these stories to life.” – Ellie Towfigh via Facebook

“I’m excited to be a member of such an amazing company that inspires audiences to reach out and connect with others to promote social change in such powerful ways…  Perspective is hugely important to being a positive member of a community and I believe that it can often be overlooked.  But New Beginnings brings forward so many unique stories that can perhaps open horizons for our audiences and introduce the realities of immigration and resettlement.” – Alanna McPherson, Performer

“New Beginnings by Sarasvati Productions is beyond amazing. This production cannot end. The message of reality of resettlement should be heard by thousands more. The actors, content and music touched my soul.” – Judy Rose via Facebook

The cast onstage for a talkback

Gerry Atwell and Hope McIntyre

Thanks to a generous grant from the Inter-Action Program, we were able to offer a wide variety of accessibility services including ASL interpretation, child-minding, translation, transportation, and counselling for any audience members affected by the play’s subject matter. On May 24^th, we played host to close to 100 Yazidi refugees from Operation Ezra, offering Kurmanji translation via headset and child-minding provided by Operation Ezra and West Central Women’s Resource Centre.

“Congratulations on an excellent production! Thank you so much for having the Operation Ezra families at the show.  It was a great opportunity for them to experience live theatre. We really appreciate you going above and beyond to make it accessible to all. The translation and child care allowed many of the attendees to experience their first live show. We had no idea what to expect yet we found ourselves laughing at times and crying at times.  We recognized some of the stories which made it even more impactful.” – Karen Shpeller, Operation Ezra

Over the course of the run, we had representatives from Winnipeg’s newcomer community speak after the show, allowing audiences to hear their stories and share their own as well. We also hosted Kamta Roy Singh, whose story appeared in the play.

“It was fantastic show last night. The individuals who act as Kamta and employee did amazing job. Congratulations.” – Kamta Roy Singh, Kamta’s Story

Kamta Singh and Lu Fayokun

“I would like to commend you, your cast and all the others involved in this performance a great “BRAVO” on an excellent performance. I was in attendance at the world premiere of Sarasvati Productions presentation of New Beginnings and was so impressed with it… A very great performance by the cast. Representatives of the Jamaican Association of Manitoba were invited to answer questions and share comments with the cast and audience at the end of the performance. A great evening.” – Patrick Moore, Jamaican Association of Manitoba

 

We couldn’t have made this production happen without the community members who participated in our workshops and allowed us to share their stories onstage. Big thank-yous as well to our incredible creative team, our hard-working volunteers, and everyone who came out to support New Beginnings!

“New Beginnings”: On and Off-Stage!

Just 5 days until opening and we offer you the top 5 reasons this production should not be missed! With New Beginnings, we’re pulling together a lot of moving parts: from dancers to film, music to art, there are so many elements that make up one amazing show! But that’s not all we have going on.

1. Accessibility Services

As part of our commitment to making the show as accessible as possible – particularly for the groups represented in the production – we’re also offering child-minding, transportation, and translation services so as many people as possible can take part in New Beginnings. We’ll also have ASL interpretation at our May 25^th performance!

2. Visual Art Installation by Newcomer Artists

Out in the lobby, we’re also featuring artists from all over the world! We’ll be screening Patrick Mugosa’s documentary Restoration: A Refugee’s Story and showcasing work by Natalia Dechevykh, Mannan Hamrasho, and Nadim Ado. We’ll also have OneNation Exchange bags available for purchase. As well, as you enter the theatre you can check out the amazing art installation by Indra Skuja-Grislis, done specially for New Beginnings!

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3. Conversation Circles

Even after the show, the work doesn’t stop: we’ll also be hosting conversation circles following each performance to continue the dialogue sparked by these thought-provoking stories. We’ll be hosting representatives from Welcome Place (Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council), Bread and Borders, the Jamaican Association of Manitoba, Institute for International Women’s Rights, Immigrant Women’s Oldtimers, Immigration Partnership Winnipeg, and community members featured in the production! For more info, stay tuned on social media where we’ll be announcing the different conversation facilitators for each performance.

4. Weekend Feasts

Over the two weekend performances, you’ll be able to feed your body as well as your mind thanks to our generous New Beginnings feast sponsors! Starting at 5:30 PM both days, you’ll be able to sample food from Viena do Castelo, Gohe Restaurant, and Baraka Pita with additional supplies provided by Safeway (Mountain and McGregor)! We’ll also be hosting an opening night reception on May 22^nd with food  donated by Diversity Food Services.

 

5. Boundary Avenue

In addition, we’re proud to be partnering as a double bill with One Trunk Theatre’s latest show, Boundary Avenue!  The production is spearheaded by Andraea Sartison, Liam Zarrillo, and Caroline Wintoniw together with Razak Iyal and Seidu Mohammed.  We’re offering discounted packages to check out both productions, available here!

 

 

With so much going on, you won’t want to miss out on what an incredible experience this show as to offer! We already have one performance sold out and another one just a few seats away from filling up. Tickets are available now through our website or call us at (204) 586-2236.

Meet the Team Behind “New Beginnings”!

New Beginnings is one of the biggest shows we’ve ever done: collaborating with artists across disciplines, including music, dance, and film-making! Get to know the amazing team bringing everything together!

What excites you about being on the New Beginnings artistic team? 

Gerry Atwell, Music Director: The subject matter is compelling and pertinent and the script is well researched, beautifully written and thought provoking. I love composing music and working with a talented creative team.

Brenda Gorlick, Dance Consultant: It is an absolute honour to work with such a diverse group of talented team members; I am extremely moved by the stories we are sharing and having a new appreciation for everyone’s journey.

Lindsay Johnson, Associate Producer: I have always admired Sarasvàti’s focus on producing theatre that sparks conversation about a wide range of important social issues. I am beyond thrilled to be a part of the artistic team who are helping stage the stories behind New Beginnings. It has been especially exciting for me to be involved in the community collaboration that shaped this production.

Cherissa Richards, Director: I love bringing these stories to life on-stage! I’m really excited to hear the personal stories of newcomers.

Saira Rahman, Snow Angel Films: It’s exciting to work with the other artists on the team – to learn from each by observing their creative process. I always like collaboration because of how enriched a piece can become with multiple perspectives.

 

What elements of the project do you personally connect with? 

Gerry: Even though I was born and raised in Winnipeg, people regularly assume I am from elsewhere and want to me to justify my presence and difference by categorizing it. “So where are you from?” is a question I have been asked all my life. My father chose Canada and all through his life he helped those who were adjusting to a new life here. I grew up sharing dinner with people from Russia, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Uganda, and South Africa that my Dad met in passing and befriended.

Brenda: My brother and sister-in-law work for UNHCR so I’ve heard many of their experiences over the years of refugees’ stories.

Lindsay: I have loved getting to know members of my community that are outside of my day-to-day circle. It has been a fabulous experience watching my experience of Winnipeg grow in this way.

Saira: I felt a connection with the stories that included a parent and child. They made me remember my own experience growing up as my family tried to adapt to our new home. I’m honoured to be a part of this project because it honours my personal experience as a newcomer, although that was some time ago! My family had many new beginnings: East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), United Kingdom, Atlantic Canada, rural Manitoba, and finally Winnipeg!

 

 

Come see the culmination of this amazing team’s hard work starting May 22^nd! We’re also featuring an opening dance piece choreographed by Emily Solstice and original art work by Indra Skuja-Grislis. Tickets are on sale now, available here!

Exploring Immigration Across Generations

Newcomer stories from all over the world will be appearing in New Beginnings: from Syria to Ethiopia, Vietnam to Zimbabwe! We have such a diverse range of artists bringing these stories to life, including some familiar faces as well as newcomers to Canada! Get to know this week’s featured New Beginnings artists below.

 

Melissa Langdon

Melissa Langdon is thrilled to be a part of the New Beginnings team. She is a graduating Honours Acting student from the University of Winnipeg. Through her time at the university, she appeared in Time and the Conways, Concord Floral, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. She’s also appeared in a number of films including Grief (Kaiju Productions) and Harmonize (Prairie Kid Productions). In addition to performing as a dancer, Melissa appears in Usna’s story, which focuses on a group of women fleeing their home country of Afghanistan.

 

As the daughter of an immigrant parent, Melissa has learned so much about the struggles and triumphs that many newcomers face while arriving in Canada. “The conversations that have emerged while discussing the struggles of new Canadian citizenship and the immigration process have been extremely powerful: from resettling after arrival to long-term personal growth and adaptation,” says Melissa.

Dagmawit Habtemariam

 

Dagmawit Habtemariam (or Dagm for short) is new to the Sarasvàti stage, having been born and raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She moved to Winnipeg with her husband and two children in July 2011. Her educational backgrounds include an M.A in Social Anthropology and a B.Ed. degree in History, both from Ethiopia. Currently, she is taking an undergraduate degree in Human Rights program at the University of Winnipeg while working as a Graduate Studies Admission Officer.

Dagm is excited to share the stories of immigrants’ lives with Winnipeggers: particularly culture shocks, the ordeals of coming to Canada, as well as hopes for themselves and their children in a new home. “I am an immigrant myself and the different scenes of the project discuss the opportunities, challenges and commonalities that immigrants face when moving to Winnipeg and Canada.”

Anjali Sandhu

Dagm also appears in Karwan and Irekanmi’s stories, both of which focus on how different generations experience settlement. Joining Dagm in Karwan’s story is familiar face Anjali Sandhu. Anjali is a Winnipeg-based comedian, actor, writer and law student. She has performed stand-up at the Winnipeg Comedy Fest, SheDot Comedy Festival, Sirius XM’s Next Top Comic, and more. Anjali was a writer/adapter of The Trump Card which she performed with District Theatre Collective at the 2017 Winnipeg Fringe Festival. She also wrote and performed an original piece for Sarasvàti’s 2018 Cabaret of Monologues, Flight 182. Anjali’s original show I’m Not Taylor Swift will premiere this summer at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival.

 

Like Melissa, Anjali also comes from a family of newcomers. “I’m excited about working with new artists,” says Anjali. “As the daughter/granddaughter of immigrants, I am excited to explore what my family members’ may have experienced through this piece.”

You can catch all of our amazing artists when New Beginnings premieres on May 22^nd! The production takes place until May 27^th at the Asper Centre for Theatre and Film (400 Colony St). Don’t miss out – get your tickets today!

New Faces and Newcomers

Through casting New Beginnings, we have had the amazing opportunity to meet and work with a whole new branch of emerging artists in Winnipeg! Representation is incredibly important – doing newcomer stories justice by doing our part to cast them as accurately as possible.

With this project, we’re introducing a number of new faces to the Sarasvàti Productions artistic team as well as welcoming back some familiar ones! Get to know this week’s featured New Beginnings artists below.

Denisse Samaniego

Denisse Samaniego is currently a third-year Theatre and Education student at University of Winnipeg. She has been performing since she learned how to talk. This is her debut performance with Sarasvàti Productions as well as her first professional job as a performer. She is honored to be a part of such a wonderful and real piece and can’t wait for everyone to experience it.

Having come over from the Philippines at the age of three, Denisse can relate to her character Hazel’s story. “I’m an immigrant and my parents, like Hazel, started from nothing and worked hard to where they are now to provide a better life for me,” says Denisse. “I want to thank my parents for everything they have done because I literally wouldn’t be here in Canada doing what I love without them.”

Reena Jolly

In addition to Hazel’s story, Denisse will also take part in depicting Ariana’s journey about a family of women escaping a dangerous situation to come to Canada. Also in Ariana’s story is Sarasvàti Productions veteran Reena Jolly. Reena is a fourth-year arts student at the University of Manitoba. She has been keeping herself very busy this year when it comes to theatre, having acted in two out of the three Black Hole Theatre Company mainstages: Nothing Sacred and Marat/Sade. Reena also appeared in our 2017 and 2018 IWW Cabaret of Monologues. Source material has been drawn from the monologue she performed in 2017, You Say Tomato, I Say Goodbye. It is the story of Irekanmi, a young high school student trying to balance assimilation into Canadian culture with her own heritage.

“I’m excited to bring the character of Irekanmi to life!” says Reena. “It’s so cool that they have transformed her into a complete, well-rounded character. Plus it’s an added perk that that some of the lines from the monologue are in the play, so I have fewer lines to memorize!”

Bosun Amao

Joining Reena in her third piece for the show is Bosun Amao, performing a snapshot from his own life. Hailing from Nigeria, Bosun has over fifteen years of experience in financial advisory, operations and project management. Aside his professional experience, Bosun has served at different times as head of drama/theatre group as well as co-founder of a dance group between year 2002 and 2003 with four other friends. He has handled various theatre projects and also coordinated the production of a film.

For all our these incredible stories and more, you can catch New Beginnings running May 22^nd – 27^th at the Asper Centre for Theatre and Film (400 Colony St). Don’t miss out – get your tickets today!

“New Beginnings”: Meet the Artists!

We’re so excited to start introducing the artists behind our upcoming production, New Beginnings! This incredible collaboration features a team of over thirty people to bring to life stories of resettlement from all over the world. This production has given us the chance to work with newcomers of all backgrounds to share their experiences with Winnipeg audiences.

We had the privilege of sharing the story of Rachel Awur Moijok Chol as part of our 2017 IWW Cabaret of Monologues. Lost Girls focuses on the missing girls of the South Sudan, pairing Rachel’s voice with movement performed and choreographed by Sydney Macfarlane.

Sydney Macfarlane

“I am really looking forward to the challenge of bringing someone’s story to life through movement,” says Sydney. “It forces me to dig deep into expressions and put me in the shoes of the person I am portraying. Some of these stories are just so empowering and it makes me feel really happy to help someone’s story be known and give a visual to their voice.”

Dance has always been a huge part of Sydney’s life, allowing her to connect more with music and herself. Sydney started dancing at the age of 5 taking tap and ballet before branching off to jazz, contemporary, lyrical, modern, acrobatics and hip-hop throughout the years. Recently she has been trying to learn more about Latin ballroom styles to grow her dance vocabulary.

Olaolu Fayokun

Performing for the first time with Sarasvàti Productions is Olaolu Fayokun. Originally hailing from Nigeria, Olaolu (Lou) now resides in Winnipeg. Olaolu established a love for the dramatic arts in high school and has since taken up studies in law and theatrical arts at the University of Manitoba, playing a prominent role in the university’s Black Hole Theatre Company. Most recently he appeared in their 2017-2018 season as Gregor in George F. Walker’s Nothing Sacred.

“I’m excited about the way in which this piece gives the audience numerous perspectives on immigration – how it affects not only the present, but future generations,” says Olaolu. “I personally connect with the unique stories depicting the journey people took to carve a safe and promising future for themselves.”

 

Jonathan Chipalata

Jonathan Chipalata is a current student at Gordon Bell High School, where he received a Best Actor Award in 2016. He’s been acting since the second grade, appearing in musical theatre and performing for big crowds.  Born in the DRC, Jonathan immigrated to Canada with his mother, father, and siblings from South Africa. As part of the production’s acting ensemble, both he and Olaolu will be portraying Kamta’s story, which focuses on two generations of newcomers at the most Canadian of workplaces: Tim Horton’s.

 

You can catch both of these powerful stories – and many more – at the world premiere of New Beginnings May 22-27. Stay tuned in the coming weeks as we feature more of the amazing artists involved in this production. For more info and to buy tickets, click here!

Our Next Community Collaboration Project!

A team of 9 artists collaborating, 9 performers, 9 dancers, musicians and dozens of community participants! It’s going to be one heck of a show. Over the past two years, we’ve been interviewing community members who are newcomers to Canada, working with numerous newcomer agencies and hearing the stories of dozens of individuals who have experienced resettlement. Now, we’ve compiled their stories into our final show of the 2017-2018 season, New Beginnings!

“New Beginnings” Preview at FemFest 2017

The project incited passionate responses at the preview at FemFest 2017. This was the first step towards realizing this production on stage. Professional theatre artists teamed up with new arrivals in an exchange of stories, music, and dance. Inspired by the input we received, we’ve been workshopping the script since September and continuing to add stories from newcomers of all ages and backgrounds.

We are excited to finally bring the collaboration to the stage later this spring! Witness the coming together of a diverse range of artists, community members, recent newcomers and established immigrants. Through the use of dance, music, visual art and storytelling, we will come together to explore the themes of displacement and resettlement.

Before the performance, you can also check out our lobby art installation featuring paintings, photography, and film by local refugee artists. We’ll also be offering an ASL-interpreted performance, translation services, and child-minding to make the show as accessible as possible. Following the performance, we’ll be hosting regular conversation circles to foster dialogue about the stories depicted and welcome people to offer their own stories in return.

Stay tuned in the coming weeks as we feature the amazing artists participating!

This unique production will also run in the same space as One Trunk Theatre’s new show Boundary Avenue: a documentary-style play co-created by Liam Zarrillo, Andraea Sartison, and Caroline Wintoniw. The show looks at the town of Emerson and the influx of asylum seekers who have crossed into Manitoba over the past year. One Trunk Theatre is excited to share their research and to support those who lent their stories for the development of the play by donating back the proceeds from this production. There will be special opportunities to see both productions – check out Brown Paper Tickets for package deals!

You can catch the world premiere of New Beginnings May 22-27 at the Asper Centre for Theatre and Film (at the University of Winnipeg). For more details and to purchase your tickets, click here!