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Monthly Archives April 2018
If Loving The Bard is Wrong, I Don’t Wanna be Right…
by Pamela Lockman I was around nine or ten years old when I first met The Bard. It was on a class trip from my small-town school on Long Island in New York. We went to nearby Hofstra University for their annual Shakespeare Festival. We went every year from about grade six through junior high, and even some years during high school. I had never read Shakespeare before my first theatre experience, and in some of those early years, we never read the play in class. But we went anyway. What I remember well is, first, absolutely loving the whole
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COMP Tickets!
Cast your mind back…all the way back to year one. It was 1994 and the show was Romeo & Juliet. It was our first time presenting what is now our signature promenade-style theatre. Looking at the photo we realize we owe you all an apology for making you stand. Hopefully you gave us a second chance to put your comfort and safety first and that first SIR show was not your last SIR show. But we are going to seize the opportunity to make it up to you. Anyone out there who can identify themselves in this photo need only
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In support of Shakespeare in the Ruins 25th Year
Prize: Trip for two to The Stratford Festival 2018 in Stratford, Ontario! Prize includes: Round trip airfare for two Round-trip ground transportation between the airport and Stratford Three nights accommodation Six ticket vouchers for your choice of productions for The Stratford Festival 2018 season (subject to availability) $500 spending money Stratford Festival Draw to take place Saturday, June 23, 2018 during intermission at SIR’s final performance of Timon of Athens at the Trappist Monastery Provincial Heritage Park. Winner does not have to be present at the draw to win. Trip must be booked before September 30, 2018. Raffle Tickets $25
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These memories were sent in by our stalwart volunteers
Richard III, 1999. The final battle scene raging on the slope down to the La Salle River. In the background, dark clouds, lightning, and the sound of thunder. –Patrick Wright My first SIR show was The Tempest, and the weather was beyond chilly… but Michelle made her entrance swimming up the river (maybe there was another ship-wrecked sailor with her?). My first exposure to SIR told me much about dedication to the craft. –Barb James In this issue
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Jim Gibbs: Our Champion 1946 – 2017
Jim Gibbs was one of the Winnipeg theatre scenes’ unsung heroes. Whether I knew it or not, my entire theatre career has been touched by Jim and his generosity. His support and donations to every professional theatre company in Winnipeg has helped keep them afloat; making it possible for people like me to have an incredible career and make a living wage in this city. It wasn’t until I became the General Manager for SIR that I had the great privilege of meeting Jim. He quickly became a mentor and a trusted ally as I got to know him personally
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SIR Endowment
We chose to give to the Shakespeare in the Ruins (SIR) endowment fund for several reasons. The foremost is that we met and enjoyed the original complement of SIR theatre neophytes. They were mostly young, just out of university, friends and acquaintances. A mix of characters, if you will, who blended well together to become a cast and crew. We loved them and still do. Individually, and as a group, they have progressed so very far from this mix, that we’d hope to see future groups of fits and misfits advance careers along the same path – even as they
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Shakespeare at the Mountain
Claire Friesen/Shakespeare in Stony Mountain/Program Director This week we wrapped up our fourth Shakespeare in Stony Mountain program. Our tradition on the last class is to pick a movie, order food from the prison kitchen, and just be together in a room celebrating the hard work of the participants. I am always struck by how different the group interacts in this last session, compared to where we started months prior. There is a relaxed energy, a familiarity between us, small acts of kindness and generosity, and laughter. Lots of laughter. Many of the staff at Stony have commented on the
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SIR MERCH
For Sale at Timon of Athens in June In this issue
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Peggers at Stratford
Left to right: Krista Jackson, Joseph Abetria, SIR Artistic Director Michelle Boulet, Omar Alex Khan, Sharon Bajer, Rodrigo Beilfuss, and Rylan Wilkie The photograph above is from the opening night of the 2017 flagship Stratford Festival production of Twelfth Night and how amazing was it to have so many Winnipeggers in attendance. Joseph, Rod, Rylan, Omar, and Michelle were all there as part of the 2017 season while Krista and Sharon are alumni of the Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Direction. We would be remiss if we didn’t send out a big shout-out to the Stratford Festival; our benevolent older
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