Join Us for Newbie Night on December 2nd!

Are you curious about playback theatre? 

Join us for our Red Threads Playback Newbie Night:

Wednesday, December 2nd from 7 to 9 pm 

Manitoba Theatre for Young People - Studio 1

Who is Newbie Night for, you ask? It's for people with interest in using the aesthetics of theatre for social justice and connection (while having tons of fun doing it!). Playback artists come from all different backgrounds.

Playback Theatre is improvisational storytelling of personal moments and experiences of the audience. At Newbie Night we will do warm ups, explore a few playback forms and do a short performance together. Red Threads always strives to create a safe and welcoming atmosphere, so that everyone present can explore playback in a supported environment.

If you are interested in playing with us on December 2nd, contact Dana Rungay at danarungay@gmail.com or (204) 231 1086.

Hope to see you there!

Come play with us!

MIRSSA Mental Wellness Forum

On September 25th, 2015, Manitoba Immigrant and Refugee Settlement Sector Association hosted a forum to explore mental wellness needs and resources in the newcomer community. Red Threads of Peace was invited to perform as the last activity of their day. Seventy-five participants reflected on both personal and professional experiences they have had in Canada. The opportunity to pause and celebrate the insights they have had through the playback performance was appreciated as part of closing their day. Some feedback from the evaluation forms included:

Playback Theatre was my favourite!

Playback Theatre: Great experiences, networking, service coordination. Great to see those emotions expressed in characters.

Photographer: Maricel Bucher

Playback Tuesdays at Selkirk Mental Health Centre

Selkirk Mental Health Centre, in collaboration with Artists in Healthcare and Gas Station Arts Centre, generously welcomed Red Threads of Peace Project facilitators Bequie Lake and Dana Rungay, along with movement therapist Karissa Martens to do “Playback Tuesdays.” Cairn Moore of Sarasvati Productions also attended the sessions as a writer and observer. The project kicked off with a playback performance on September 22, followed by six one-hour playback theatre workshops in each of the health centre areas. The final performance will be November 10th. The Red Threads performers who have participated include: Elena Anciro, Nick Kowalchuk, Bequie Lake, Dawn Lavand, Loc Lu, Dana Rungay, and Martial Tougas.

The participation of the patients and staff have been heartwarming. The groups warm up with movement to their choice of music from Karissa’s huge repertoire – and if Karissa doesn’t have it this week, she gets it for you next week! This individual attention and caring is really appreciated by the patients. Theatre games then build group safety, confidence, and esprit de corps between the patients, staff, and facilitators. Moments and experiences of the participants are offered for playback in one of the playback forms.

Participants tell of past experiences and present day happenings and feelings. Playback Theatre honours the individual voices in the group through the simple improvisational performance. Often these stories resonate with other members of the group. It is gratifying to see the patients enjoying their involvement; seeing their story performed; playing the music; or performing with the troupe. Several patients and staff have spoken about how much having Playback Tuesdays has meant to their well being and the need for these types of programs in the health centre.

“Playback Tuesdays” has deepened our awareness, insight, understanding, and compassion of issues in mental health. When a participant says, “I’ll never forget you (Playback Tuesdays team),” we are reminded of our gratitude for the opportunity to touch lives through playback.

From bottom left to right: Cairn Moore, Dana Rungay, Bequie Lake, Karissa Martens