Winnipeg is Beautiful

Company: InJoy Theatre, Winnipeg, MB

Genre: Kids Fringe

Venue: Kids Venue

 

This high school production deserves high marks for hitting its primary goal. It takes a horrifying event and turns it into optimistic art.

—Iris Yudai

This high school production deserves high marks for hitting its primary goal. It takes a horrifying event and turns it into optimistic art.

The seed for Winnipeg Is Beautiful was planted during a class discussion last December - the day after the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

Local teacher Tannis Lehmann Francis wrote and directed the play, and she and her teenaged ensemble clearly poured their hearts and hard work into it. Karly McMillan is a joy to watch in the lead role. She totally inhabits the character of spunky seven-year-old Winnie, who loses confidence after seeing some scary news, and figures out how to face her fears with help from her big brother. Duncan Cox is note perfect as loyal big brother Flynn. 

The runtime could be shorter, and some performers could be louder. Still, the show succeeds in getting younger audiences to think about how to conquer fears and embrace what makes us different.

And it's a powerful reminder to grownups to consider what incomprehensible tragedies look like from a child's point of view.