Winnipeg Fringe Festival 2011

Had a few rehearsals in the Can West Theatre and Flim building seen in photo behind me. My lovely new stage manager James Moore booked the space and found me a chair and black box for my set and yesterday we had a tech run of the show in Venue #2 Up The Alley Theatre MTC.


My friends Lianne Judt and Richard (that I haven’t seen in about 8 years) helped me put up posters and took me for dinner at the Kings Head Pub a popular fringe hang out.

My billitor and old friend Renee and I saw TJ Dawe Show – Lucky 9 last night and it was great! Had a tour of the childrens Hospital Life Centre that Renee runs, producing an in hospital tv show for the kids in Hospital which they appear on. Games and toys to prepare them for their hospital proceedures, it’s an amazing program complete with huge fish tank with a big albino frog (one of the most amazing creature I’v ever seen.)

Meeting other Fringe performers, having a great time in Winnipeg. Going to see my friend John Grady’s show today Fear Factor: Canine Edition, which I saw in New York and wept buckets and then hopefully see Curriculum Vitae and Happy Slap Venue #10 and This is Cancer Venue 16.

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Gals from “The Seminar” – Sarah & Mellissa – met at Media Showcase.

Arrived in Winnipeg for Fringe 2011


Picked up at the Winnipeg airport by my old friend Renee Ethans. We took her excellent labradoodle Bear for a big walk around Assinaboine park, looked at all the sculptures…miles of sculptures..caught up on many years since we were at Laval University.
Then we put up a few fringe posters and she gave me a Winnipeg orientation, had an excellent burrito at her husbands restaurant.
Today did RIng Master character for the media event the fringe organized and met some others enthusiastic fringe performers…Penny, Sarah, Melissa, Carly….photo’s to follow. Winnipeg free press there taking photo’s, global tv and Jenny Review.
Rehearsed with my new Stage Manager James Moore, very competent SM got through general tech notes quickly.
Tonight its the Big Top review out door stage…Ring Master will be there.

Stripes Heads for the Winnipeg Fringe July 15-24


Winnipeg Fringe announced it’s Venues today…Stripes will be in:

Venue 2
MTC Up the Alley
174 Market Ave.
Entrance on John Hirsh Pl.

Times:
Fri July 15th 9 pm
Sat July 16th 2:45pm
Sun July 17th 4:30 pm

Tues July 19th 10:15 pm
Wed July 20th 3:30 pm
Thurs July 21rst 5:50 pm
Fri July 22 2:15 pm

Sun July 24 8:15 pm

Opening Night Evergreen Cultural Centre Coquitlam


Mayor Richard Stewart & Councillor Reimer supporting Theatre in Coquitlam – Opening Night Evergreen Cultural Centre.
Thanks to David Mann (far right) the man responsible for inviting us to his wonderful theatre.

Sarah Hayward, MLA Diane Throne, and Veenesh Dubois . The Opening night of our Double Bill was well received.
Kim and Miranda brought me lovely boquet. Thanks to all who attended.

The Tri-City News – Stripes honours her family

The Tri-City News – Stripes honours her family

Hi Sarah,
The story is now online at http://www.tricitynews.com. Good luck with your performance.
Janis Warren
The Tri-City News

Eight years ago, Sarah Hayward started to take voice lessons in Vancouver.

And she found that her coach, Marguerite Witvoet, not only had an talent to bring the best out of her students but to turn their daily lives into song.

At the time, Hayward was ferrying back and forth to Victoria to care for her ailing mother and, during one visit at the extended care, Hayward saw first hand the power of music when she began to sing to her sick parent and other folks in the home. “I could see them waking up and the memories in their eyes.”

The therapeutic technique prompted Hayward to collaborate with Witvoet for her theatrical one-woman musical, called Stripes: The Mystery Circus, which will presented as part of a double bill with Veenesh Dubois in Coquitlam next week.

In Stripes, the character of Pollyhymnia is so eager to get into the circus that she portrays every act, including an escape artist and a high-wire walker.

The circus, Hayward said, is a metaphor for life. And while she goes through many zany journeys to reach her destination — mixing physical and traditional theatre with cabaret — Hayward said the play has a message: Be authentic.

“It’s about using your life experience as a creative medium,” she said, recalling some of the lyrics: “Stripes are what’s inside your cloth/Chose a habit that you like a lot/Stripes are what’s inside your cloth/Stripes be brave, bar none.”

“It’s about not trying to please everyone but doing what you really want to do.”

Ultimately, Stripes is Hayward’s way of paying tribute her family.

“If I want to do something night after night, I want it to be about love,” she said. “That was my impetus for creating it, wanting to honour that life we had together.”

Hayward has earned high praise for her show. Last month, she was doubled-up with Dubois at the Surrey Arts Centre — as in Coquitlam — and, over the past few years, she toured the Canadian fringe circuit and gave excepts at showcases in Berlin, Edinburgh and Nova Scotia.

Last year, Stripes appeared at the New York Fringe Festival and, this July, Hayward will be at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival.

jwarren@tricitynews.com