Finlayson recipient of new award for Manitoba artists with disabilities

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This article was published 23/01/2025 (429 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg’s Daphne Finlayson is the inaugural recipient of Sick + Twisted Theatre’s Dan Augusta Promise Award, given to a Manitoban artist with a disability toward the development of an idea or in support of their education or training.

Augusta, a local theatre artist who died in 2023 at 34 years old, was a frequent participant in Sick + Twisted productions, known for his sharp wit, relentless punmanship and willingness to share his vulnerabilities on stage with grace and humour.

This year, the $500 prize — given to an artist who self-identifies as disabled or who has lived experience of accessibility barriers — is funded through the Manitoba Arts Council. Moving forward, it will be funded through a Winnipeg Foundation endowment fund established through a gift from Augusta’s estate.

“We knew we didn’t want his gift to be lost to support short-term operating expenses. By establishing an endowment fund, we are keeping his gift alive,” says Sick + Twisted’s artistic director Debbie Patterson.

Finlayson knew Augusta briefly, working with him in a Sarasvati Productions project called The Human Library, during which attendees could “take out” a living book and ask it questions about their lives and experiences.

“Dan was a very sweet, empathetic person who was really forthcoming about his lived experiences with disabilities, but also had a great sense of humour about it,” says Finlayson, who was diagnosed with autism in 2023.

The associate producer of the Village Conservatory, Finlayson faced her diagnosis with a similar spirit and says it has helped her better understand her own navigation of the world.

“It allows a context for how I connect and present to the world,” she says.

Finlayson, a graduate of the University of Manitoba’s theatre and film programs and a one-time finalist for the Harry S. Rintoul Award, plans to put the prize money to use in the development of her new play, FanAddict, which she will mount at this summer’s Winnipeg International Fringe Festival.

Early drafts of the script, which focuses on a fictional YouTube celebrity struggling with the burdens of online fame, were developed through RealWheels Theatre’s national playwriting circle, a program based in Vancouver dedicated to performances that deepen understanding of disability experiences.

“The project that Daphne proposed appealed to the prize jury,” says Patterson. “They liked the themes she was exploring in her play, they were impressed that she was part of the RealWheels playwrights circle this year and they felt the goal of writing this play for production at the upcoming fringe was achievable.”

ben.waldman@winnipegfreepress.com