New sitcom delving into Mennonite and Filipino cultures ready for prime time

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This article was published 01/01/2024 (443 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Maria and the Mennos is a heartwarming hilarious take on the differences two completely opposite cultures can have when they’re put in a situation where they must live together.

Local radio personality Kenton Dyck and Filipino-Canadian Victoria Exconde play newlyweds Nate and Maria. They move to Winkler to live with Nate’s Mennonite parents Sarah and Hank Friesen (played by Erna Peters and Chuck Fefchak).

“I’m a Mennonite and there’s been a lot of Mennonite movies and media that’s been produced – books etc – and I’ve never seen my experience represented,” said Paul Plett, the show’s producer, and head writer. “I’m a filmmaker, I make movies, and I wanted to share my experience on the screen. I’ve collaborated with a number of Filipino-Canadians in Winnipeg and they also felt that their experience hasn’t been represented. You haven’t seen the Filipino-Canadian experience from here in Manitoba and there is a huge population of Filipino-Canadians and Mennonites in Manitoba. We just thought, ‘How can we package this? How can we put this out?’”

Plett is Mennonite and lived in Zambia and Sudan as his parents worked for the Mennonite Central Committee. He also wanted to use his familiarity of experiencing a different culture on the screen with a Manitoba twist.

“I thought it would be great if we could celebrate Mennonite culture and celebrate another culture,” he said.

Dyck, who is also Mennonite having grown up in Winkler and Steinbach, said he can relate to the sitcom.

“It’s kind of neat because you get to hear some Low German slang and some Low German terms being used, as well as Filipino and you kind of get both. It’s neat to hear Mennonite last names and talk about Mennonite foods and stuff in a TV setting like that. It’s kind of an odd feeling because normally we’d see stuff from New York, Chicago, L.A. I definitely relate to a lot of that.”

Dyck has a lot of experience in the dramatic arts having performed in local theatre and the Winnipeg Fringe Festival. He said acting is a passion of his and he never thought he’d be making a sitcom.

“This was a dream project. I always loved acting, I love sitcoms, I love comedy, so to have this opportunity in the province is crazy, I think. These sorts of opportunities don’t happen in Manitoba. You kind of have to leave and go to Toronto or L.A. for this sort of thing. It was always a dream of mine to do this. A dream that I never thought would become reality.”

This is the only known Canadian sitcom that showcases Mennonite and Filipino culture, which Dyck said makes it rare.

“The sitcom itself is so silly and fun. It really does have a fun-loving atmosphere to it. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, it has some really heartfelt moments and it kind of feels like some of the sitcoms of the ‘90s. It feels kind of fun and funny.”

One of the funnier scenes in the sitcom is the celebration of Maria’s birthday when her whole family comes over and they sing karaoke in the living room.

Filmed in Winkler and Winnipeg over a 10-week span, the writers’ room was half-Mennonite and half-Filipino so the experiences represented on screen are authentic.

“We wanted to make something that is hopeful and is about family and it’s about love,” said Plett.

He noted that the show’s 13 episodes stand on their own with no cliffhanger for a second season. He said it would be nice to have a second season of the show if it takes off.

“It feels like a homegrown show, so in that way it would be cool to do more because we have so many stories to tell here in Manitoba, and this show is a cool conduit to be able to share some of those stories.”

Maria and the Mennos debuts on Jan. 3 on YESTV and will be streamed on www.yestv.com/streaming.