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This article was published 07/02/2022 (1624 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

At long last, actors will tread the boards before a live audience at the newly refurbished Gargoyle Theatre on Ellice Avenue.

The brainchild of writer Andrew Davidson and named for his 2008 New York Times bestseller, the Gargoyle is a workshop theatre that seeks to eliminate as many barriers to staging a play as possible. Every play at the Gargoyle will be a world première of a new, original work by a Winnipeg creator; it’s a space for art-making and risk-taking.

Owing to the ongoing pandemic, however, the Gargoyle has yet to host a live performance since it officially opened in the fall. But that will change this week when Sonja and Richard, a new play by Winnipeg playwright/actor Steve Ratzlaff, begins its run on Feb. 9.

Ratzlaff is thrilled that his will be the first play staged at the Gargoyle.

“I think what Andrew’s done with the Gargoyle, first of all, physically, making it such an attractive, beautiful, charming place to do theatre, and then being so generous for the terms for independent production, I just think it’s going to be a great thing for theatre in this town,” he says.

The Gargoyle invites any Winnipeg-based artist, whether they are emerging or established, to pitch an idea for a production. Those with successful pitches — which are determined by the strength of the idea, by the way, not one’s resumé — will then have a whole month’s access to the theatre for rehearsal and tech, with support from venue technician Rebecca Driedger and technical adviser Scott Henderson, as well as a five-day run of shows. There are no rental fees or deposits, and ticket proceeds are split 50/50 — all things that are basically unheard of, Ratzlaff says.

“I think it’s potentially transformative. And for myself personally, it makes the difference between being able to do a play or having it sit on a shelf.”

Directed by Bill Kerr, Sonja and Richard is a two-hander about a married couple who are also both teachers, and how they navigate their overlapping personal and professional relationships. Ratzlaff and Marina Stephenson Kerr will perform in the titular roles.

Ratzlaff was a high school teacher (English, Canadian history and drama) for nearly two decades, but Sonja and Richard is not autobiographical. As a playwright, he was interested in “looking at these characters and how they function in a private relationship and how they function in a public relationship, and where are they more comfortable? Where do they just do a terrible job? That public-private realm intrigued me very much.”

Ratzlaff was also interested in exploring the stories we tell ourselves, and how two people can have differing interpretations of the same event.

“To see that kind of blow apart on stage can be quite enjoyable and entertaining,” he says. “I hope there’s quite a few laughs. It can be entertaining in a way that it’s not entertaining when you’re watching it happen around your own dining room table.”

Davidson’s vision for the Gargoyle as a place to take chances on new works was born out of frustrations he’s encountered himself as an artist.

“I was working on a musical with a good friend of mine, and it was very, very difficult to find anywhere that plays could be workshopped or produced,” he says. “And it just seemed to me to be an area that is ready to be explored, to be opened up, to be offered.

“I mean, I love the other theatre companies in Winnipeg, and I go and see everything. I can’t compete with those, I’m a much smaller operation. But what I can offer is something different. That’s what I’m trying to do.”

Davidson is excited to give Sonja and Richard its first home.

“I think it’s really great,” he says of the play. “I think it’s well-written, and interesting and raises interesting philosophical questions. And the actors are hitting it out of the park every day in rehearsal.

“What I love about theatre is that afterwards, it keeps you thinking for a couple of days, and you can’t wait to discuss what you’ve just seen with your partner or your friend or your wife or your husband, whoever you went with. This is that type of play.”

jen.zoratti@winnipegfreepress.com

Twitter: @JenZoratti