The Pulse
Vol 6, Issue 4
December 2013
Support Sarasvàti Productions
If you care about the work we do, we can use your help! As a registered charity we provide tax receipts for donations of $10 or more. Mail in a donation to the address below or donate to our endowment fund at the Winnipeg Foundation (www.wpgfdn.org ).
Vision Statement
Sarasvàti is the Hindu Goddess of the creative arts. Sarasvàti Productions embodies the spirit of the Goddess with a desire to inspire artists and audiences through the use of theatre. Our transformative performances promote and reflect diversity while challenging artists, audiences and society. We envision a world where the arts are used to increase human understanding and encourage positive change.
Tidbits
Our latest youth based piece Giving Voice performed three "test" presentations at MB High Schools last month. We received great feedback from the students and are continuing to revise the script!
Contact us at:
242 Cathedral Avenue
Winnipeg, MB R2W 0X3
info@sarasvati.ca
204-586-2236
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We grow by word of mouth. If you believe in the type of work we do, please take a moment to forward this to a friend or two. Your help in getting the word out means so much to us!
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Up and Coming
So You Think You Can Act:
The Revolution Starts Now
February 19, 2014—Gas Station Arts Centre
See former Bombers and your favourite morning show hosts ham it up! We are pleased to be presenting our 3rd Annual So You Think You Can Act fundraising event. Local celebrities, including Alison Gillmor, Jim Ingebrigtsen, Obby Khan, Eva Kovacs, Kris Laudien, Big Daddy Tazz and Troy Westwood, will be paired with theatre actors to test out their acting chops in front of a panel of judges - similar to the hit reality television competition shows! The judges then provide insightful feedback, positive reinforcement, and hysterical commentary. The best part of it all? The audience ultimately gets to choose the winner! This year’s theme is The Revolution Starts Now and will feature the inaugural event winner, Ace Burpee, as host. Just $25 gets you into the show, as well as the after-show wine reception. Tickets can be purchased online from our website.
Rise Up!
International Women's Week Cabaret of Monologues
March 3-9, 2014
Every March, people all over the world celebrate International Women’s Week and we are once again proud to be part of the celebrations! As is tradition with Sarasvàti Productions, we will be hosting and touring a cabaret of monologues in recognition of women’s achievements in storytelling, acting, writing and directing! This year’s theme is Rise Up! and will feature stories of young women, the next generation of subversion, new forms of advocacy and the ways women tackle adversity. We will be performing the monologues at the Colin Jackson Studio Theatre (at Prairie Theatre Exchange, 3rd Floor Portage Place) on March 7th and 8th at 8pm; they will also be available for community events.
  
Come and Gone
FemFest 2013: Revelation and Revolution
September 14-21, 2013
We would like to thank all of our artists, volunteers, audience members, and supporters for helping make our 11th annual FemFest a great success! We showcased close to 50 female artists this year! Every year we are blown away by the amount of support and encouragement we receive from the community. It is because of you we are able to produce this important festival every year! The artists continue to tell us how invaluable the festival is; and we hope that all of you were inspired, entertained and amazed by what this year’s FemFest had to offer! Mark your calendars, plans are already in the works for next year’s FemFest 2014: She’s Got The Power (September 13-20, 2014).
A special shout out as well to all those who supported our Rumor’s Comedy Fundraiser in November!
Hands Up
We are excited to welcome Rachel Smith as Assistant Director for our spring show. With a mandate to support emerging artists, it is important to provide young artists and recent graduates with the opportunity to gain experience through hands-on learning. Rachel has recently returned to Winnipeg after completing her MA in Theatre and Performance at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom. She is a former student of the University of Winnipeg, having completed a BA Honours in Theatre and Film. This is her second time Assistant Directing, having previously worked on Way to Heaven at the Winnipeg Jewish Theatre.
Hands Out
We would like to thank everyone who made a gift to our endowment fund at the Winnipeg Foundation this fall. Donations made before the end of November will be matched to ensure the long-term success and viability of Sarasvàti Productions and the important work we do.
Although we love creating great theatre and believe in its transformative power, we also know we cannot do it alone. There are so many ways you can get involved to show your support and help us continue to inspire positive social change. We have just launched our online fundraising campaign in anticipation of our spring production of Fefu and Her Friends which will make its Winnipeg premiere in May 2014. Whatever amount you choose to give, know that your generosity is greatly appreciated.
We know with the holidays money can be tight so we also love to welcome in-kind donations that can be used in our upcoming fundraiser raffle!
Testimonials
“FemFest is such a great festival in the way that it brings female artists together from across the country. In the two times I have performed at the festival, I have been fortunate enough to meet the playwright of the piece I was involved in, which is a rare opportunity.”
- Shanley Scarsbrook Jardine, FemFest 2013 Performer
“I owe Sarasvàti a good deal, not just as a female artist but also as a young emerging playwright. This season saw the first production of a script that I had written solo. To be able to see my work professionally produced was a wonderful experience for me, and one that I would probably not have gotten for a long time without Hope McIntyre and Sarasvàti Productions.”
- Jessy Ardern, Playwright
Rising Star
Hannah Burns
We are excited to have Hannah on board as one of our teen writers for this year’s Cabaret of Monologues. Who better to write about young women taking a stand then a young woman herself?
Hannah Burns is a seventeen year old student at St. Mary’s Academy. Last year she took her first year of drama and stumbled upon her passion. Auditioning for a small part in a school play, she enjoyed acting, but really found joy in writing. Her play Schitz won first place in the Scirocco Playwriting competition and since then she has been writing as much as possible.
2014 Monologue Line-Up:
Something’s Not Right by Wren Hookey
Teen Trucker by Sara Arenson
Hide Away by Kendra Jones
Black and White by Cairn Moore
White Girl Problems by Frances Koncan
Who Killed Snow White? by Judith Thompson
I am not Malala by Hope McIntyre
Plus two original pieces by teen writers:
Reflection by Sarah Simpson-Yellowquill
What being a girl means by Hannah Burns
As well as slam poetry by Ali Tataryn!
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