December 29, 2013
Coming up later this week, Winnipeggers will get the opportunity to see Doreen Brownstone (and Gislina Patterson) perform Judith Thompson’s Such Creatures at the Colin Jackson Theatre.
As you will guess if you read my last blog post, the advice I am inclined to give is “Go see this show”.
However, I went in to that experience (the subject of my last blog post) with no expectations, which undoubtedly formed part of my reaction in that moment.
So, maybe I shouldn’t tell you to see the show. By telling you to see this show, will I inadvertently affect your experience of it negatively? I have no idea. But I do want to do my part to get the word out about it; to be on the safe side, I just won’t tell you you’re going to like it.
It’s kind of like I was looking out the window and saw a pair of cardinals. I would call to anyone else in the house: “Hey, come see this—there’s a cardinal at the bird feeder!” I mean, I don’t see cardinals very often, and they look beautiful against all the white snow.
Now, imagine you are in the house with me. perhaps you have aesthetic dislike for white on red, or you just don’t like birds. Or you’ve been luckier than me and seen lots of cardinals in your lifetime. It’s all possible. But maybe you’ll be as excited as I am and come running. In case it’s the latter, I don’t want to deny you the opportunity to see the rare bird by making the mistake of not telling you.
So, the purpose of today’s blog post is to encourage people to go see Such Creatures by sharing useful information about where and when to find it.
I am not producing the show or associated with it: just a fan of some of the principals involved, who wants other fans to have the opportunities I’m lucky enough to know about.
So, I’m telling you: check out Such Creatures this week—4 performances only!
Stefanie (poster and details below)
Showtimes:
Such Creatures plays at the Colin Jackson Studio Theatre for only four performances:
Thursday, January 2nd at 8 pm,
Friday, January 3rd at 8 pm
Saturday, January 4th at 8 pm
Sunday, January 5th at 2 pm.*
*The final show is at 2:00 pm Sunday. Don’t let that trick you into missing it.
Location:
The Colin Jackson Theatre is located in Prairie Theatre Exchange—on the 3rd floor of Portage Place Mall. It shares the lobby with the PTE mainstage theatre.
When you get to PTE, just walk right into the lobby ‘til you see some friendly welcoming people: tickets will be sold at a table inside the lobby (just outside the doors of the Colin Jackson), not at the PTE box office.
Tickets:
Tickets are only $15, and can be paid for at the door by cash only (there is an ATM in the mall)
You can reserve tickets by e-mailing
Reservations are recommended: who wants to be disappointed at the door?
Parking and Transportation:
There is underground parking at Portage Place. It’s only $5 most nights, and $7 (I think) on Jets game days. Take the elevator directly up to the 3rd floor, walk past Imax and turn right.
When it’s this cold and snowy out, an extra $5 or $7 may be worth it. However, there is also free street parking in the area (both in the evenings and on Sunday afternoon); just make sure you read the signs before parking. I’m pretty sure you can park on a snow route as long as you move your car before midnight (and the show is not much over an hour, so that shouldn’t be a problem).
Other Reasons You should go see this show
- Such Creatures is being produced by Incompletely Strangled Theatre company, which presented a remarkable production of The Walworth Farce last winter.
- It’s directed by Arne MacPherson. Arne has a long track record as a director of creating moving and intelligent shows. As an audience member, I’ve enjoyed and admired both his acting and directing for years, including The Walworth Farce last year. Last January I had the pleasure of being directed by him for the first time (in Gallery Works’ Sunday in the Park With George as part of SondheimFest), which only served to increase my admiration.
- It is the Winnipeg premiere of a play written by Judith Thompson, a governor-general’s award winning playwright.
- And finally, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, it’s a chance to see Doreen perform. Watching a 91 year old expert practice their craft—in any field—is a rare opportunity, and I don’t want anyone to miss it because they don’t know about it.
Hope to see you there!
Half of SWAK Productions, Stefanie Wiens is a Winnipeg actor, writer, producer, occupational therapist, and fan of independent theatre. She is currently engaged in her first ever crowdfunding campaign to raise money to create a scripted comedy feature starring Doreen Brownstone (more information here).
