Skating on thin ice

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/03/2012 (5324 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

From her hotel room window, visiting actor Shauna Black can see the luminous, uncommonly warm March sun shining over the Red River. But unlike many Winnipeggers, the scene makes her heart ache.

“Now that the weather is warming up, I’m actually sad about it,” Black confessed. “Even though I grew up in Alberta, just north of Edmonton, I never ever learned how to skate. So every Sunday on my day off, I’ve gone down to The Forks and skated the Red River.”

Black, who is in town from Toronto to star in Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre’s production of God of Carnage, saw her skating skills grow “exponentially” since beginning rehearsals in Winnipeg, thanks to her treks to the city’s famous river skating trails.

“The first time I went, I went with a friend and we skated the whole thing back and fourth and it was really windy. I was very impressed with myself,” Black said proudly.

“The second time I went by myself, and I had to literally crawl on all fours down the stairs because I was so sore. A man with a dog passing by asked me if I needed any help. I said I was OK while kids were whizzing past me.”

The burgeoning skater is no stranger to Winnipeg.

Spending many summers here visiting her grandparents, Black was excited to be reunited with the prairie city that she so loved as a child.

“I’ve missed the prairie skies — most of all, the sun,” Black said. “But now, I look out my window longingly at the thawing river, wishing it was frozen over again, I’m sorry to say.”

Starring in the six-time Tony award-winning play as the politically minded Veronica, Black spends most of her nights doing verbal battle with her three co-stars: John Cassini, Oliver Becker and Vickie Papavs.

“It’s exhilarating. It’s a comedy that the audience really buoys you through. Even though it’s very physically demanding and vocally it can be demanding, because people are laughing at you more than with you, it really gives you the energy,” said Black.

But when she’s not verbally sparring on stage at the John Hirsch Theatre Mainstage, Black is exploring Winnipeg’s downtown, an area of the city that the actor was previously unfamiliar with. For lunch, Black loves Exchange District eateries Blufish for her sushi fix and Bodegoes for green curry noodles.

Although some may consider the life of an actor a lonely one, with its constant travel for those lucky enough to have national work, Black finds a part of her home in every stop.

“Being able to buy Ukrainian food at The Forks Market is great. I grew up on Ukrainian food. So being able to get my cabbage rolls and my perogies — it’s been amazing.”

Black was even able to take in one of Winnipeg’s most beloved new pastimes: cheering on the Winnipeg Jets at the MTS Centre. An Edmonton Oilers fan at heart, Black tried to stay incognito while watching the game with co-star John Cassini.

“I went with the best intentions! I went to cheer on the Jets, and as soon as the Oilers scored their first goal, my instincts kicked in and I screamed. I covered my mouth, and thought ‘Oh shoot,’ ” Black explained. “I was all for crossing over to the dark side, and then when I got there and I saw my boys skating around, I thought, oh no. There’s no way I can cheer for the Jets. I bleed blue and orange.”

But as for her favourite Winnipeg pastime, Black passes up watching our boys on skates to being on them herself.

“You’re so lucky, because we don’t have anything like that in Toronto, where you can just skate along the river. It’s just been the best experience with all the art installations and the huts.”

But how will the Toronto transplant spend her days off now that her beloved river trail is no more? She’s got a few ideas.

“I’m going to go from skating to golfing,” Black said excitedly. “I’m not a very good golfer, but I love it.”

“If you can recommend any good courses where a girl can go to golf, I’d really appreciate it.”