WJT takes it outside with al fresco show

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This article was published 13/08/2021 (1513 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg Jewish Theatre will be the first local theatre company to perform a play live onstage to in-person audiences this season, even if the show comes as a surprise entry as a one-off season-ender.

WJT will be presenting Dear Jack, Dear Louise by playwright Ken Ludwig (Lend Me a Tenor), a two-hander starring Justin Stadnyk and Becky Frohlinger, from Aug. 28 to Sept. 5.

Instead of being mounted in the usual Berney Theatre venue, the 90-minute, no-intermission show will be presented in an open-sided canvas tent on the Asper Jewish Community Campus field, allowing for socially distanced reserved seating.

The play follows the letter-writing courtship of U.S. army Capt. Jack Ludwig, a military doctor stationed in Oregon, and Louise Rabiner, an aspiring actress and dancer in New York City. It is based on the story of playwright Ludwig’s own parents.

Ticket prices range from $15 to $36 and are available at www.wjt.ca. Tickets will be issued by email only.

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The Winnipeg Theatre Awards’ annual showcase, a.k.a. the Evies, has announced its annual Honorary Awards.

Stan Lesk: Under the category of Career Contribution, local actor Lesk is being fêted for his long and storied career, from his many roles at Rainbow Stage to playing Uncle Fester in a 2015 Dry Cold production of The Addams Family.

Laurie Lam: The Behind the Scenes award recipient, Lam worked for 33 years at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre — 25 years as a producer — and is being cited for contributions as a writer, administrator, and teacher.

Neil Dalrymple: Winning the award for Theatre Champion, Dalrymple is not only a theatre fan, he has shown his support as a fitness facility provider for many touring companies and a pro bono personal trainer for the likes of Jason Cadieux, Erica Peck and Seana McKenna.

Joy Lazo: As a Theatre Educator, Lazo has been a guiding force in the Filipino performing arts community in Winnipeg. Her wisdom and experience as a singer, actress and vocal performance coach from the Philippines has been passed down to many generations of students for the last two decades.

“The honorary awards are all about celebrating long-term commitment and devotion to the Winnipeg theatre community — the sung and unsung stalwarts who have given their hearts, their time and their talent to our art form,” says Donna Fletcher, who chairs of the honorary awards committee.

The previously announced short list of nominees for the Outstanding Digital Production are: The Mountaintop (Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre); Plé, The Plé Collective; Post Democracy, Prairie Theatre Exchange; The (Post) Mistress (Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre); and Voice (Prairie Theatre Exchange).

The Evies will take place on Aug. 30 as a broadcast.

randall.king@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @FreepKing