Making sure the show goes on

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This article was published 31/08/2016 (3334 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As Sarasvàti Productions prepares to launch this year’s much-anticipated FemFest, a talented team is busy behind the scenes to ensure that each performance runs smoothly.

That team includes production co-ordinator Tori Popp and stage managers Rachel Young and Zoë Leclerc-Kennedy, each of whom will play a vital role in the success of FemFest 2016.

Renowned as Canada’s main festival for female playwrights, FemFest runs this year from Sept. 17 to 24 at the Asper Centre for Theatre and Film (University of Winnipeg, 400 Colony St.).
For Popp, it’s her first year in her new role as production co-ordinator after spending the past four years as a stage manager.

“It’s very exciting and I get even more experiences behind the scenes. I’m a very organized person, so keeping everything organized is just a joy to me,” said Popp, a Windsor Park resident who is pursuing an honours degree in stage management and production at the University of Winnipeg.

“I’ve always loved theatre but I was never the type to be an actor. I love props and costumes, too, but they were never really my specialty. With stage management, I get to have my finger in all the pies. I always get to know exactly what’s going on.”

Young, a St. Vital resident, is working closely with director Frances Koncan on the Shorts program, which features excerpts from scripts on the FemFest shortlist.

“I’ve always liked making lists and keeping things organized. I never really thought I could use that in a career. When it comes to scheduling rehearsals and sending off emails, I really like it,” said Young, who is going into her final semester as a theatre and film major at the University of Winnipeg.

“The whole cast and crew is so awesome. Everyone is working really hard to make a super great show.”

Meanwhile, it’s double duty for Leclerc-Kennedy, who is stage-managing the Bake-Off on Sept. 19 while also doing props for the in-house show The Seduction Theory by Sherry MacDonald, winner of last year’s Bake-Off.

“The Bake-Off is a showcase of five writers who wrote 10-minute scenes within eight hours using three key words for ingredients. The audience votes for the winner, who gets $500,” explained the Norwood-St. Boniface resident. “It’s going to be pretty cool and people should check it out.”

Leclerc-Kennedy is studying production and stage management at the University of Winnipeg, so her involvement seems like a natural fit.

“My family has always been in the arts and I’ve been to a lot of theatre,” she said.
“I started off my university in education and then started taking some theatre production courses and fell right into it.”

For more information on FemFest, which kicks off Sarasvàti Productions’ 2016-17 theatrical season, visit www.sarasvati.ca

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