Café chat on theatre great John Hirsch

Posted:

Advertisement

Advertise with us

We were live at the Winnipeg Free Press News Café at 10 a.m. with Andrew Wilson, co-author of a new book on theatre legend John Hirsch.

Read this article for free:

or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Subscribe and receive a limited-edition Free Press branded hat or tote.

Digital Subscription

One year of digital access for only $205*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional

$1 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles
Start now

*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/01/2012 (5307 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

We were live at the Winnipeg Free Press News Café at 10 a.m. with Andrew Wilson, co-author of a new book on theatre legend John Hirsch.

Wilson, co-author of A Fiery Soul: The Life and Theatrical Times of John Hirsch, joined us to discuss the book, in particular, an excerpt on Hirsch’s Winnipeg years that will run in Saturday’s Winnipeg Free Press.

You can watch a replay of the interview below:

John Hirsch, seen in a 1967 file photo.
John Hirsch, seen in a 1967 file photo.
Watch live streaming video from winnipegfreepress1 at livestream.com

Advertisement Advertise With Us

Report Error Submit a Tip

Advertisement

Learn more about Winnipeg Free Press Advertising solutions

More Stories

ELAINE THOMPSON / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES The closure of the consulate means the U.S. government will no longer have an official presence in Winnipeg to explain U.S. policy, advance trade and commercial activities and report to Washington on developments that affect U.S.-Canada relations.

Once hailed as sign of strong bond, U.S. consulate in Winnipeg to close

Tyler Searle 6 minute read Preview

Once hailed as sign of strong bond, U.S. consulate in Winnipeg to close

Tyler Searle 6 minute read Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026

There was much fanfare when the U.S. government re-established a permanent presence in Winnipeg in April 2001 as it unveiled its consulate and hailed it as a major achievement between two friendly nations.

“It is testimony not only to the importance the U.S. government attaches to our bilateral relationship with Canada but also to the increasing prominence of Winnipeg, Manitoba and the western region of the country in bilateral and multilateral affairs,” said U.S. Ambassador to Canada Gordon Giffin at a ceremony with then-premier Gary Doer.

Fast-forward to this week when it was learned the office at Portage and Main is set to close, meaning the U.S. will lose its primary advocate for American business and trade interests in Manitoba.

Dwight MacAulay was chief of protocol for the Manitoba government in 2001, calling it a time of celebration and strength between the countries.

Read
Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026
BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS FILES The Winnipeg Sea Bears will be without star guard Teddy Allen (right) Thursday as the club takes on the Saskatoon Mamba at Canada Life Centre in the CEBL Western Conference semis. Allen was assaulted by nightclub security Sunday night.

Sea Bears say Allen recovering from nightclub assault

Joshua Frey-Sam 6 minute read Preview

Sea Bears say Allen recovering from nightclub assault

Joshua Frey-Sam 6 minute read Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026

The Winnipeg Sea Bears are preparing for the Canadian Elite Basketball League playoffs without the services of its Most Valuable Player.

The club announced on Tuesday that star guard Teddy Allen has been ruled out for Thursday’s Western Conference semifinal against the Saskatoon Mamba at Canada Life Centre (7:30 p.m.) as he recovers from “significant health injuries” suffered after being assaulted by security staff at a downtown nightclub on Sunday.

“We continue to co-operate with the Winnipeg Police Service on its investigation and have referred them individuals and information based on what has been provided to us from those on the scene,” a statement from the club read.

“What we’ve seen and heard to date leads us to believe that Teddy was the victim of an assault at the hands of security at a downtown nightclub.”

Read
Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026
Stephen Borys photo Le Musée de Saint-Boniface / St. Boniface Museum stands at 494 Taché Ave.

Walking past history — and understated renewal

Stephen Borys 6 minute read Preview

Walking past history — and understated renewal

Stephen Borys 6 minute read 2:01 AM CDT

Several times each week I walk, cycle, or drive along Taché Avenue in St. Boniface.

It is one of Winnipeg’s most remarkable streets. Within a few hundred metres stand St. Boniface Cathedral, the cemetery where Louis Riel is buried, the archbishop’s residence, St. Boniface Hospital, La Vérendrye Park, and the Musée de Saint-Boniface. Few places in Canada bring together so many layers of history within such a compact landscape. This is where Manitoba’s story began. More than 175 years later, it remains one of the country’s most important historic precincts.

Yet it is always the museum that captures my attention.

It may be because I have spent much of my professional life working in museums and heritage institutions. More likely, it is because the old Grey Nuns’ convent has always struck me as one of those rare buildings that is far more than architecture. It has witnessed nearly two centuries of Manitoba’s history.

Read
2:01 AM CDT
The Bell Canada logo is seen Tuesday, June 21, 2016 in Montreal. A provincial court has granted an appeal to an employee-launched class action against Bell Canada over how to calculate the cost of living increase in their pension plan that comes down to a contentious comma. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson Paul Chiasson / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Manitoba’s 911 service provider, Bell Canada, is facing questions about reliability and redundancy measures after an hours-long outage outside Winnipeg, caused by a severed fibre optic cable.

Bell sheds 19 more Manitoba employees

Gabrielle Piché 3 minute read Preview

Bell sheds 19 more Manitoba employees

Gabrielle Piché 3 minute read Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026

At least 19 Manitoba jobs were lost recently during Bell Canada’s ongoing restructuring.

Parent company BCE Inc. confirmed in June it’d axe nearly 700 jobs through organizational changes. Those changes began last year.

A dozen Manitoba staff were laid off on July 30, according to Team-IFPTE Local 161, the union representing the workers.

Another seven union members left voluntarily though a departure program, the union reported Tuesday.

Read
Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026
RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS Winnipeg Goldeyes pitcher Derrick Cherry (left) says catcher Raphael Pelletier (right) ‘keeps everyone looking good on the field.’

Goldeyes catcher Pelletier moonlights as team barber

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Preview

Goldeyes catcher Pelletier moonlights as team barber

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 10:06 PM CDT

Tucked inside the Winnipeg Goldeyes’ clubhouse is a no-frills washroom with a urinal, a pair of toilets and a trio of sinks beneath matching mirrors.

But when rookie catcher Raphael Pelletier drags in a well-worn black leather salon chair with cracked upholstery and lays out his clippers, trimmers and shears, the space transforms into something else: a barbershop.

While far from luxurious, it’s the type of haircutting experience that could only exist inside the wacky world of independent baseball.

“He keeps everyone looking good on the field, honestly. We needed this,” said third-year Goldeyes pitcher Derrick Cherry, while getting a trim on Wednesday ahead of the team’s game against the Chicago Dogs.

Read
Updated: Yesterday at 10:06 PM CDT
FREE PRESS FILES A Concordia Hospital doctor has denied responsibility in an ongoing negligence lawsuit.

Concordia doctor denies responsibility for Calgary man’s permanent disability

Erik Pindera 4 minute read Preview

Concordia doctor denies responsibility for Calgary man’s permanent disability

Erik Pindera 4 minute read Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026

A Concordia Hospital doctor accused in a negligence lawsuit after a Calgary man was left permanently disabled when he was given a massive overdose of a powerful sedative has denied she ordered he be given the drug.

Zachary Hoogerdyk’s father, Edward Hoogerdyk, and the Alberta government filed their statement of claim earlier this year in Court of King’s Bench naming the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, provincial health agency Shared Health, Concordia Hospital, Dr. Anna Ziomek and two other hospital staff as defendants.

Hoogerdyk, who was 23 at the time, went to Concordia’s urgent-care centre with flu-like symptoms and worsening breathing difficulties on March 25, 2024 while he was in Winnipeg on business and to visit family, the lawsuit says.

The claim alleges Ziomek diagnosed Hoogerdyk with low levels of oxygen in his blood and a strain of the flu, before ordering him to be intubated.

Read
Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026