Supplied photo<\/p>\n
(From left) Rob Kwade, Siobhán Keely and Steph Blanchette are the co-founders of the Little Theatre Festival, which will run on weekends in February at the Irish Assocation of Manitoba.<\/p><\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n
Keely, who is involved with An Seancha\u00ed, noted that one-act plays sometimes get \u201cleft by the wayside\u201d and she wanted to help promote the community theatre scene in the city.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to grow, and we want to get feedback,\u201d Keely said, adding she hopes the festival will become an annual event.<\/p>\n
She said the community theatre scene is thriving in Winnipeg, and she hopes the festival will capture the imagination of local theatre lovers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have lots of theatre groups in Winnipeg, lots of fabulous groups. It\u2019s a fabulous community, and there are lots of passionate writers, actors, stage managers, and creative people in the city. It\u2019s a wonderful group of people that support each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
Steph Blanchette, who lives in Sage Creek and is involved with the Cactus Theatre Company, is also a board member and co-creator of the festival.<\/p>\n
Noting that she misses Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre\u2019s former Master Playwright Festival, Blanchette said a lot can be accomplished in a one-act play.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can tell a really good story \u2026 in a simplistic sort of way. It doesn\u2019t need to be big sets and over-the-top backdrops.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can get to the heart of things with a one-act play,\u201d Blanchette said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have so many local groups with a passion for theatre and stories they\u2019d like to tell, and this is an opportunity to build on this community and collaborate with different groups.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other local theatre companies involved with the festival are Dark Horse Theatre, Winnipeg Mennonite Theatre, Illustrium Creations, Aodh\u00e1n Theatre Production, R-G Productions, and Tara Players.<\/p>\n
The plays will be staged at the Irish Association of Manitoba (654 Erin St.).<\/p>\n
Visit www.littletheatrefestival.com for more information.<\/p>
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