Sarasvàti is the Hindu Goddess of all arts, of inspiration, and of great change. Sarasvàti Dramatic Theatre Productions and Repertory Inc has been functioning as a company since 1998 and operating in Winnipeg since 2000.  Our mandate is to create theatre that increases human understanding, to support emerging artists and to experiment with new theatrical forms.

Sarasvàti Productions believes deeply in the ability of theatre to transform society. It is also our desire to create opportunities for artists to showcase and develop their skills. We believe that theatre is energizing and life-affirming – that it resonates beyond a conscious level, generating community-building processes and fulfilling our need as human beings to connect with one another.  We also believe that theatre should be an inclusive art form and therefore encourage collaboration with other artists, mediums and forms of creative expression. This allows us to constantly challenge ourselves as artists and to expand conventional boundaries and understanding of theatrical forms.

Our largest event is FemFest, Winnipeg’s annual festival of plays by women for everyone. FemFest 2010: On the Edge runs September 25th to October 2nd with an exciting line-up of full productions, new plays in development and skill development workshops representing female artists from across Canada. Full details are available at www.femfest.ca. Our goal to take arts to the community will also be met this year with a school tour of No Offense… a collaboratively created, interactive piece dealing with racism in high schools.

In our history, Sarasvàti Productions has workshopped or produced several new scripts including: EDEN 2009 (workshop presentation); Ripple Effect 2008 (Manitoba high school tour); Jill’s War 2004 (Winnipeg Fringe Festival); You Whore! 2003 (Winnipeg Fringe Festival); Death of Love 2002 (Winnipeg); Hunger 2001/1998 (Winnipeg/Toronto); Missiah 2000 (Toronto); and Revisioning 1999 (Toronto).  We have also produced existing scripts, including: Fen 2010 (ChurchillFest, Winnipeg), The Impromptu of Outremont 2005 (TremblayFest, Winnipeg); One for the Road 2004 (PinterFest, Winnipeg); and Fire Visions: Poems by Bertolt Brecht  2003 (BrechtFest, Winnipeg). In support of emerging playwrights, we have produced: One Night Stand, a reading series for Manitoba playwrights (2000 - present), produced dozens of scripts at FemFest (2003 -present); and featured over 40 playwrights at our International Women’s Week Cabaret (2003 -2008).