Several Winnipeg theatre companies have joined forces this month to celebrate the power of the local theatre scene and the one-act play.
This short-form theatre form was what first sparked the idea that became the Little Theatre Festival last year.
“We did a double header together with another theatre company with another theatre company last January… and people were really excited about the idea,” explains Siobhan Keely, one of the directors of the Little Theatre Festival and the artistic director of the An Seanchaí theatre company.
Another catalyst for the formation of the Little Theatre Festival was a smaller amount of theatre offerings in the city of Winnipeg over the last few years. “There’s definitely been a void since COVID,” says festival board member Steph Blanchette. “It’s just really scratched an itch that people have had to create more theatre.”
Over the course of February, the festival has presented multiple one-act plays at the Irish Association of Manitoba in the West End. By the time the festival concludes at the end of the month, a dozen local theatre companies will have shared not just a production, but also the resources so that all the participating groups can share the best show possible.
“The response was overwhelming,” says Blanchette. “People were all too happy to sign up and be part of it, figure out ways to collaborate and work together. They’re sharing sets and props, sharing actors, sharing directors. It’s just really been a beautiful collaboration.”
“One of the reasons why we decided to do this festival was because a community theatre company doesn’t have the funding, the backing, the financial support, the access to this, that and the other,” adds Keely, sharing that on multiple occasions, performers from one theatre company will jump into another company’s production to cover for performer illness or other unexpected circumstance.
With this spirit of collaboration, Keely and Blanchette are already dreaming about what the Little Theatre Festival could look like in future years. “There are constant daily texts between the three of us going, ‘OK, next year, OK, next year,’” smiles Keely, hinting at plans to add more groups to the festival and extending the weekend runs to include more productions. “We’re looking at a lot of things, but we really feel that this year has been successful in the way it’s happened. There’s always room to make things better.”
The Little Theatre Festival’s third weekend gets underway at 7:30 p.m. on February 20 at the Irish Association of Manitoba on Erin Street with additional performances at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on February 21. The festival’s final weekend features performances on February 27 and 28. More information on the productions being shared and links to tickets can be found at the festival’s website.