Winnipeg Jewish Theater opens two show season – Winnipeg Free Press

On the bill for Winnipeg Jewish Theatre's next season will be a stage adaptation of the mega-bestselling memoir and Tony-winning musical set in small-town Israel.

Tuesdays with Morrie Winnipeg director Mariam Bernstein opens WJT's 37th season, which closes with a treatment by artistic director Dan Petrenko. Group trip In May.

The first show, which will be held from September 19 to 29, is a stage adaptation of the author and the former Detroit Free Press columnist Mitch Albom's respectful memoir of the same title, documenting his weekly interviews with college professor Morley Schwartz, who suffers from ALS.

Released in 1997 with subtitles An old man, a young man, and the greatest of life Lesson, Morrie It sold about 20 million copies.

Second production group trip It's an adaptation of the 2007 film about an Egyptian band stranded in a border town who soon adopt misfit musicians as their identity. Come from far away. in 2018, Group trip He was nominated for 11 Tony Awards and won 10 awards. It will be held next spring from May 1-11.

During a trip to North America Group trip Including a stop in Toronto in 2019, Petrenko said, WJT will be the first all-Canadian production with the 25-year-old director.

With both hands Tuesdays with Morrie it's lean and designed to pack a personal punch, Group trip Featuring a cast and crew of 17, it will be WJT's largest show in more than a decade, Petrenko said.

The two-show bill marks a change in schedule from the 36th season, which included three main productions — Friends, songs for a new world and Address unknown — and two limited musical productions, Cabaret by Gabby Epstein Gabs sings Babs and Kanye West's music protest Severe pain.

Songs for the New Worldtwo months before the theater canceled the second of three major productions, Petrenko cited the institution's long-term financial stability for the difficult decision.

“It's no secret that our theater, like many theaters in the country, is facing shortages. “I think our strategy here was to present two shows that are more familiar,” he says.

Since most of this shortfall is covered before the next season, Petrenko says that his priority is given to both the stage and the book.

“We're still going into the next season with a deficit, but it's certainly not as dire as last year. We are working for sustainability.”

In addition to the main performances, the company relies on exclusive subscriber events, including concerts and play readings, to which anyone who purchases a two-show package is invited.

Petrenko also plans to expand the theater's ties to educational institutions, a strategy that led the company to invite more than 12 school groups for its season-closing production. Address unknown.

The company is issuing casting calls this week for the upcoming season, which the theater is choosing to market as “Season of Miracles.”

Subscriptions for Winnipeg Jewish Theatre's 37th season are on sale now, with early bird pricing available until June 10 at wjt.ca or 204-477-7478.

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Ben Waldman
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Ben Waldman covers a little bit of everything for The Free Press.

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