The Impact of The Maggie Tree
What They Have Already Accomplished and Where They are Going Next
Suite 101's Edmonton theatre enthusiast and participant, Andrea Beça, recently interviewed actress, playwright, and dramaturge extraordinaire Kristi Hansen about The Maggie Tree, a theatre group in Alberta geared directly towards developing work by female artists.
Suite101: How has the response been to the Maggie Tree as a whole, and what has the male response been?
Kristi Hansen: The response has been overwhelming. From local to global, people have been incredibly supportive and interested in what we are doing. The women in our community have been outstanding, wanting to lend a hand and become involved however they can.
The male response has been just as great. It has been incredibly inspiring. We are so grateful. Both Vanessa and I have wonderful partners who are more than just supportive of our work; they acknowledge the difficulty that women have in the arts, especially the theatre. My husband's support in the initiation of The Maggie Tree made it so that I wasn't so surprised when many of my male friends came to the ring for our seedling project, which is starting to grow to fruition.
Suite101: What do you hope to achieve in the long run, or what is your ultimate goal in being a part of this project?
Kristi Hansen: A big part of the fuel of The Maggie Tree was Vanessa's attendance at a Magdalena Project in 2006. The Magdalena Project – founded in 1986 – is a dynamic cross-cultural network of women's theatre and performance, facilitating critical discussion, support and training. It is a nexus for diverse performance groups and individuals whose common interest lies in a commitment to ensuring the visibility of women's artistic endeavours. The name, The Maggie Tree, is a seed of the Magdalena Project.
We are very interested in collaboration among artists from different mediums. We are interested in mentorship among female artists: in the emerging female artist, how to help her to find her voice, and to a large extent to discover our own voice, because we are also artists looking for our place in the Canadian Theatre community.
Suite101: What are you currently working on?
Kristi Hansen: We are prepping to enter rehearsals for A Life in the Day. Beth Graham and I are working on the script while Vanessa is getting ready to put her director hat on again.
A Life in the Day is a beautiful, lyrical play (inspired by Under Milkwood) that follows the waking and dreaming life of a small town. A Life in the Day runs at Catalyst Theatre in Edmonton from February 5-15, 2009 as part of the Indie 5 season, and is being co-produced with Urban Curvz Theatre. Production design by Daniela Masellis, sound design by Lori Gawryluik, and movement consultation by Lin Snelling. A Life in the Day stars Edmonton actors Amber Borotsik, Michele Brown and Mark Jenkins.
Suite101: Can anyone get involved in The Maggie Tree? If so, how?
Kristi Hansen: Absolutely!!!! We are always looking for pitches for projects, volunteers and cries for help (finding contacts, space, whatever)! Just send us an email, maggietree@yahoo.com, and chat with us. We are totally open.
Suite101: Finally, if you had to set a resolution for 2009, what would it be?
Kristi Hansen: To keep that dream alive! To try and keep this tree a growin' and growin'!
Andrea would like to extend a huge thank you and best wishes to Kristi Hansen, Vanessa Sabourin, and everyone else at The Maggie Tree. For more information on this amazing organization, you can check out their Facebook Group.
Actresses Kristi Hansen and Amber Borotsik
|
The Maggie Tree
|
What do you think about this article?
More in Visual & Performing Arts
Latest Articles