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This article was published 12/09/2019 (2263 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

 

Culture and history collide in play about Chinese shopping malls

Prairie Theatre Exchange opens its 2019-20 season this weekend with No Foreigners, a feat of multimedia theatre that uses North American Chinese shopping malls as portals for nuanced stories about what it means to be a foreigner in your own community.

Actors interact with text, miniatures, digital backdrops and live video to explore the effects of the Chinese diaspora. Multiple storylines jump between cities, weave in Cantonese and English and travel through the past, present and future.

No Foreigners is a collaboration between Hong Kong Exile, an interdisciplinary group from Vancouver, and Governor General’s Award-winning playwright David Yee of fu-GEN Theatre.

Tickets are $25 and performances start at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 12, 13 and 14. Friday night includes a post-show music performance by Winnipeg’s Erika Fowler in PTE’s Lobby Lounge.

This show is part of the local theatre company’s Leap Series, which features plays designed to push the boundaries of traditional storytelling. Other shows in the series this season include MÆ – Motion Aftereffect (Oct. 30 to Nov. 3) and Exciting Consequences (Feb. 19 to 23, 2020).

Visit pte.mb.ca for tickets and more information.

— Eva Wasney

 

UMSU Frosh centennial continues without Lil Nas X

If you were planning on taking your horse down to Old Town Road this weekend, you may have to change your plans: Lil Nas X, the headliner for Saturday’s University of Manitoba Student Union’s (UMSU) centennial frosh event at Bell MTS Place, cancelled all his performances for the week.

As of earlier this week, rapper Tyga and local musicians Faouzia and Myazwe were still scheduled to perform.

For now, Tyga will be the main draw; the California rapper has released seven full-length records including 2019’s Legendary, which features collaborations with the likes of Lil Wayne, J Balvin, G-Eazy, Offset and Swae Lee, among many other notable names in the hip-hop scene.

UMSU stated on its Instagram page Tuesday it will try to find a replacement act for Lil Nas X that is “worthy of our centennial celebration.”

Doors open at Bell MTS Place at 6 p.m. and music starts at 7 p.m. Student tickets are available for $45-$65, plus fees and taxes; bring a valid student ID as arena staff may ask to see it. Tickets for non-students/general public are $75, plus fees and taxes. All tickets are available at Ticketmaster.

— Erin Lebar

 

Newfoundland musical rolling into Winnipeg

Opening on a foggy night in a fictional Newfoundland and Labrador town, No Change in the Weather takes audiences on a toe-tapping journey through the province’s turbulent past and hopeful future. The musical is on a cross-country tour and runs in Winnipeg until Saturday, Sept. 14, at the Seven Oaks Performing Arts Centre.

The show is set in the community of God’s Back Pocket and follows a local family as they mourn the loss of their matriarch, Mary Margaret. Traditional East Coast songs and instruments provide the backdrop for a story that looks at the real-life legacy of former Newfoundland and Labrador premier Joey Smallwood and the economic disaster of his Churchill Falls hydroelectric project.

No Change in the Weather is written by Berni Stapleton and produced by Bob Hallett of Great Big Sea and Winnipeg philanthropist Walter Schroeder. The cast features a slate of Newfoundland theatre stars and musicians, including Sean Panting, Josh Ward and Kelly Russell.

Tickets start at $49 and are available at nochangeintheweather.com or by calling 1-877-384-9669.

— Eva Wasney

Dance theatre piece has world première at the Gas Station Arts Centre

Hot off the heels of a creation residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts, two-time Dora Award winner Waawaate Fobister debuts their new dance theatre piece Omaagomaan this weekend at the Gas Station Arts Centre.

Presented by Ozhichige Anishinaabe Dance Theatre, Omaagomaan explores the effects of mercury poisoning on Grassy Narrows First Nation.

Using movement, sound and storytelling, Fobister portrays Omaagomaan, a two-spirit being and manifestation of the Earth and the toxins that have poisoned it. A shape-shifter inspired by Anishinaabe cosmology, Omaagomaan asks us to bear witness to the ways the maanaadizi (ugly) and the onizhishi (beautiful) collide.

The world première of Omaagomaan runs Sept. 12 to 15 at the Gas Station Arts Centre. Tickets are $15-$20 with a pay-what-you-can performance on the Sunday, Sept. 15, matinee, and are available at waawaate.com/events.

—Frances Koncan

 

Back-to-school bike market at The Forks

Whether you’re looking for a ride to get you through the winter, are hoping for a new way to get to school this fall or are planning ahead for next spring/summer, this weekend could be the best time to look for your newest pedal-powered pal.

On Sunday, Sept. 15, Winnipeg Repair Education and Cycling Hub — better known as WRENCH — are holding their Back to School Bike Market at The Forks Market from noon to 5:30 p.m.

WRENCH will be selling bikes in all sizes and styles that have been refurbished via their UpCycle employment skills training program. The bikes are saved from potentially ending up in the landfill via collection centres at the Brady, Pacific and Panet 4R depots. The bikes are then brought into working condition through the UpCycle training program, which helps those with barriers to employment gain valuable skills.

This weekend’s sale, located near the boxcars northwest of the main building of The Forks Market, is typically the biggest of the year for WRENCH, and proceeds go back toward free programming for children and families. You can also get great tips on bike upkeep and repair from WRENCH members.

For more information, see thewrench.ca.

— Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson