Stitchen’ Saturdays

MAWA student intern Lasha Mackedenski hosts this bimonthly workshop for people of all genders, from 14 to 30 years of age. Stitchen’ Saturdays include both an instruction time and a social/making time and is an online creative space. Supplies are limited but available for those who need them. Call 204-949-9490 to arrange curbside pickup. Join Stitchen’ Saturdays two Saturdays per month. Email [email protected] for the Zoom link. 

First Friday lecture by Natasha Jozi

MAWA hosts a free First Friday lecture as  part of their ongoing series on March 5 at 7 p.m. Natasha Jozi is a visual thinker and performance artist from Pakistan. She is the founder and director of House Ltd., “an initiative that explores the notion of the city as a performing organism.” Jozi lives and works in Munich, Germany. The event will be livestreamed on Zoom, which provides auto-generated captioning. Following the lecture, the video will be posted to the MAWA Facebook page.

An Acorn live performance

This work by 2012 OBIE Lifetime Achievement in Playwriting award-winner Caridad Svich is presented by Impel Theatre. This live, remote, digital performance, directed by Kendra Jones, runs March 12 and 13 at 7 p.m., featuring an interactive twist. Actors Blythe Haynes and Winnipegger Ray Strachan will be joined with two special guests each night, who will receive the script an hour before the performance. The day of the performance, audience members will also receive instructions for how to curate their spaces and interact with the performance. The shows will be available for purchase on demand from March 14 to April 3. Tickets are pay what you can, with a $15 minimum donation, at kendrajones.net/impel-theatre.

Playing with Stories Online

Local clown Sue Proctor is hosting a seven-week workshop on clowning. Open to all levels of experience, the workshop will unpack stories, storytelling and show creation. Proctor writes and directs clown shows with Comedy Clownesque. This seasoned performer uses puppets in performance and facilitates workshops in drama, puppetry and clowning. The cost for seven sessions is $140. Contact Proctor to register at [email protected]. 

Winnipeg Crankie Festival

Held from March 5 to 7, Winnipeg’s Crankie Festival hosts a number of concerts and workshops as part of the Stay at Home Routes program. With nightly shows and daytime programming, the Crankie Festival is geared toward families and audience participation. The crankie was a forerunner of modern film, and the festival celebrates crankies and the art of storytelling. Performers and workshop leaders include musicians Al Simmons, David Graham and Madeleine Roger, as well as textile artist Melanie Wesley. Purchase tickets and find out more at homeroutes.ca. 

Beyond the Perimeter: First Fridays in the Exchange

On Friday, March 5, First Fridays in the Exchange hosts an online talk by Alexandra Ross from Mitchell, Man. Ross, who works with photography, print and clay, will speak about the challenges and rewards of being a rural artist and why innovative ways of learning, exhibiting, connecting and creating are so important outside the city limits. The artist talk will go live on YouTube. Find out more on First Friday’s Facebook page.

Published in Volume 75, Number 20 of The Uniter (March 4, 2021)