Steinbach writer’s production nominated for awards

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This article was published 01/10/2020 (1724 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There must have been very little rust to shake off for Steinbach playwright and actor Tracy Penner, who penned what was only her second play in 15 years, less than a year ago.

Awaken, a new play that imaginatively explored the 16 years missing from the plot of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale, launched Jan. 16, 2020. The last play she wrote before that was Simple Gifts, a one-woman show inspired by her home town of Steinbach, featuring characters from a Mennonite community.

Eight months later Awaken finds itself on the shortlist in two juried categories as part of the Winnipeg Theatre Awards, also known as The Evies.

Because of COVID-19 the event will take place Nov. 2 as a broadcast with audiences being asked to donate to the Actors’ Fund of Canada in lieu of admission.

Tracy Penner is nominated for Awaken in the New Work category. Others in that category include O(phelia) – Leigh-Anne Kehler, The Golem’s Mighty Swing – Marcus Jamin, The Third Colour – Ian Ross and Women of the Fur Trade – Frances Koncan.

“To be nominated for this award is an honour,” Penner said. “Especially considering I’m an emerging playwright with so much still to learn. It’s so lovely to have my work acknowledged by other artists in the community.”

The play was produced by zone41 theatre with Shakespeare in the Ruins, and followed two of The Winter’s Tale’s leading female characters, Queen Hermione and Paulina, played by Daria Puttaert and Tracy Penner respectively.

In a January, 2020 interview with The Carillon, Penner said she wanted her story to be able to slide into the empty spot in The Winter’s Tale, like a puzzle piece, while also being entertaining on its own. “The show is going to be beautiful to watch and I just hope that when people come to see the play that they’ll embrace this story and the magic of it as much as I have,” she said then.

That’s exactly what played out on that stage at the Rachel Browne Theatre in Winnipeg in late January.

“I’d have to say people loved the show,” she said. “And the exciting part was getting this reaction from people who didn’t know The Winter’s Tale at all. I really wanted the story to stand on its own and be accessible to everyone.”

Penner said it’s tough to see this as a competition, describing being placed in the same category as other artists as a “privilege and honour”.

“The awards need to be thought of as a celebration,” she said. “All of these new works are so different from each other… the stories, the writing, the productions. I can’t imagine having to choose one nominee to be awarded.”

Penner said creating something new and putting it out in the world is scary, but necessary to allow other people to hear those stories. She also acknowledged there were artists this year who didn’t get a chance to put their productions on a stage because of COVID.

“I hope that those playwrights will also get the chance to see their creations come to life in the future, and receive the same acknowledgement as I’ve gotten with Awaken,” she said.

Awaken also picked up a second nomination, this one for Chris Coyne in the category of Sound Design. Other nominees include Kelsey Braun – The Hours that Remain, jaymez – The Third Colour, Peter McBoyle – The Color Purple and Paula Potosky – A Year with Frog and Toad.

“Our production ended up using the technical elements in a big way, with the lights and projection and sound,” Penner explained. “The mini scenes I wrote to show the passage of time became essential to the play. Krista Jackson directed the production and she knew that all of those elements would bring the story to life in a way that modernized the telling of it.”

Penner added the sound became the heartbeat of Paulina and Hermione’s love story. “Chris did amazing work,” she said. “We were so lucky to have such an awesome team of artists working on the show.”

Collaboration was key to making the show a success right from the beginning and Penner has never been shy about crediting their success to the theatre companies and the individuals who were involved.

“I couldn’t have done the work without Krista Jackson, Michelle Boulet, Daria Puttaert, and Margaret Brook, along with zone41, SIR, and the Manitoba Association of Playwrights,” she said. “A lot of work goes into a theatre show, even if it’s a relatively small production. And both companies gave blood, sweat and tears to bring Awaken to the stage.”

Penner said it’s tough to picture exactly how Awaken could come to the stage again, with theatre companies trying to simply stay afloat under COVID restrictions.

“It’s a fragile time for live theatre. I hope that Awaken will grace the stage again someday,” she said. “I would love to share Paulina and Hermione’s story with other communities too.”

Chair of the organizing committee for the awards, Chris Johnston, described the current moment for the theatre community as “devastating” adding it’s still important to recognize the hard work done by so many.

“The event on Nov. 2 will strive to honour the great work that took place ahead of the lockdown in March, as well as honoring the impact of the pandemic,” he said. “We hope to showcase the importance of live performance to our community, and gather together in spirit to honour all of the nominees and recipients.”