Monthly Archives April 2018

Will can make the difference

How is it that a small theatre company with a limited budget and small staff continuously delivers a quality Shakespearian experience AND an extension program that rivals any other arts programming currently offered in Manitoba? Like most people I came to know Shakespeare in The Ruins by attending shows at the St. Norbert monastery. The plays are engaging, the setting unique, and of course, the post show reflections with my wife made the price of admission well worth it. I’m willing to pay the price of admission for my own entertainment, but am I willing to support the company to
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Another Successful Stripped-Down School Tour

By Pamela Lockman – St. John’s Ravenscourt My love affair with Shakespeare In The Ruins has been going on for almost 20 years now. Since arriving in Winnipeg in 1997, I have seen every one of their spring productions and “stripped down” fall school shows. What SIR offers our community in terms of providing great theatre for public audiences is only one of the terrific things they do. Even greater than that, however, is what they offer to hundreds of students every year through their fall school tours. SIR performs a veritable repertoire of “Shakespeare’s Greatest Hits for Schools.” In
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The Tragedy of Othello

Moor of Stony Mountain By Claire Friesen – SITC Program Director In August 2015, three years after starting our initial inquiries, SIR gained institutional access and clearance for a new Stony Mountain outreach program to begin. In August 2015 we moved into the penitentiary school, and offered a grade 10 drama credit to any inmate who completed the program. We ended up with 11 participants ranging in age from early 20s to mid-50s. We spent most of our time in a unique exploration of Othello. We shortened the play to thirty pages and set it in Stony Mountain penitentiary. Amelia
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Next Question – Nick Petuhoff

Thanks to a mentorship grant through ACI Manitoba Shakespeare in the Ruins has been able to offer an intern position to Black Hole student Nickolas Petuhoff. Artistic Director Michelle Boulet sits down with Nick to find out what’s his story. Michelle: Where did you study? Nick: I am currently enrolled at the University of Manitoba in the Theatre Department; prior to that I attended Maples Collegiate. Michelle: What was your very first theatre production? Nick: In grade nine I was in a production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and I played Mike Teavee. Michelle: How did you land at
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Our Household

By Arne MacPherson IR’s current SITC program works with youth from Winnipeg’s inner-city. The program is directed by Claire Friesen, and offers them free drama workshops that culminate in the production of a shortened version of one of Shakespeare’s plays. As well as instruction, food, bus tickets (or rides) to participants, and complimentary tickets to SIR productions are provided. This program helps marginalized youth find their voice. It inspires them to dream, and to develop tools to express who they are as individuals. It is a powerful program that fosters empathy and expands horizons (as well as touching on many
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Not Just A Walk In The Park

Hello to all you fine Shakespeare in the Ruins supporters. And by supporters we mean all you theatrically savvy, stalwart people who, like us, equate spring with heading out to the Ruins and braving the elements in the pursuit of theatre of the adventurous. As we write this, we are still in the throws March`s swirling snowy landscape but it will not be long before we feel the sun on our face, the wind in our hair, and hear the words of William Shakespeare ringing out through the bucolic St. Norbert Ruins. We cannot wait to share what is sure
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The Real Richard III

At the age of 7, Richard was a prisoner of war under the Lancasters, along with his mother, and siblings George and Margaret. Richard III was the last King of England to die in battle. He died August 22, 1485, at the age of 32, during the Battle of Bosworth Field, only two years into his reign. September 2012: a team of archeologists uncovered the remains of Richard III in a modern day parking lot, once the Grey Friars Church. Positively identified by DNA testing, research on his skeleton indicated that he suffered from stress-related bruxism or teeth grinding. There
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SIR Endowment

This past season to commemorate the 400th Anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare we ran a Endowment campaign with the goal of raising $4,000. We are thrilled to report that we exceeded our goal by $200! And even more exciting is that this amount was matched by a private donor which in turn was also partly matched by the Winnipeg Foundation. In turn, that amount was submitted as part of a Canadian Heritage Grant matching endowment program and could potentially (we will learn in March) be matched dollar for dollar. What does all this mean? Well our campaign to
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MY TIME AS SIR INTERN

Left: Nick in Stripped-Down Romeo & Juliet. By Nick Petuhoff During the summer of 2015, I received a call asking me if I was interested in interning with SIR as part of ACI Manitoba’s Youth Internship Program. I was ecstatic at having this opportunity to work with Andrew, Michelle, and Lisa, quickly accepting the proposal before I completely understood what I was getting myself into. I was interested in learning about Theatre Administration during my internship with SIR. I reasoned that I knew nothing about the subject and I wanted to understand how the daily business of running a theatre
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Seatless in St. Norbert!

SIR General Manager, Lisa Nelson-Fries, test-drives the Larry Introducing the Larry Chair As I write to you today the snow is knee-deep in ‘The Ruins’, but the promise of the coming spring means that before long, our thoughts will turn to love. I know you share our excitement in that the 2017 Shakespeare in the Ruins’ production is Romeo & Juliet, perhaps the greatest love story ever told. As always, our promise to you is to present the unique ‘Ruins’ experience that is the hallmark of our annual celebration of the Bard’s work since our first production in 1996. Unfortunately,
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