Local News
Josh Bellan cast in lead male role as Eric in Rainbow Stage’s upcoming production of “A Little Mermaid”…Becky Frohlinger to play Jetsam
By MYRON LOVE Rainbow Stage, Canada’s only summer musical theatre in a park, has since its earliest days, had a strong connection to our Jewish community. The opening benefit concert in 1954 listed among its featured performers the Jewish community choir led by Cantor Benjamin Brownstone – and, of course, Jack Shapira served as executive producer from 1965 to 1988.
Over the years, many Rainbow Stage productions have included one or more members of uor Jewish community in the cast. This year is no exception. The first production of the season, “Rent” – which ran from June 26 to July 16 – featured by now veteran performers Eliot Lazar playing one of the leads and Rochelle Kives as a member of the ensemble and understudy to one of the leads.
In the upcoming Rainbow Stage production of “The Little Mermaid” – scheduled to run from August 16 to September 3 – rising local musical theatre star Josh Bellan has been cast in the lead role of Eric, the little mermaid’s love interest.
When this writer last wrote about Bellan in 2019, the 24-year-old son of the late Murray Bellan and Robyn Zimberg had been making his first turn on the stage in a lead role in Winnipeg Studio theatre’s production of the musical version of “Reefer Madness”.
Over the past four years, the multi-talented Bellan reports, he has been kept busy with some film and stage work, teaching voice and guitar, and playing guitar accompanying some musical productions. This summer, not only is he playing the lead in “Mermaid,” he is also serving as one of the musicians – guitar and keyboard – for Rainbow Stages’ two other productions – the aforementioned “Rent” and “Afterlight” (September 21-October 1 at the Franco Manitoban Cultural Centre). The latter production, Bellan notes, is the love story between a 500-year-old vampire and an elderly insomniac widow desperately searching for her missing husband.
(“Afterlightt” is the co-creation by local performers Sharon Bajer and Duncan Cox.)
“I am very excited,” he says about his first lead role at the outdoor summer theatre. “I really appreciate this opportunity.”
He reports that he has some tentative theatre work lined up for next year. In the meantime, he will be continuing his teaching and picking up various guitar gigs.
Bellan says that for now,. his career plan is to remain based in Winnipeg but also be available for theatrical opportunities elsewhere.
“I am always excited to be home again,” says Becky Frohlinger, who is playing the role of Jetsam in “The Little Mermaid.”
At 29, the Toronto-based daughter of Heather Pullan and Tom Frohlinger is already a seasoned veteran. She has been involved in musical theatrical productions for as long as she can remember. “I followed in the shoes of my brother and sister,” she said in an earlier interview. “Musical theatre is my passion. I wouldn’t be happy doing anything else.”
She started dancing lessons when she was five or six. While growing up, she appeared in multiple RMTC shows, including appearances in “Gypsy” and “White Christmas”.
After finishing high school in Winnipeg, Becky applied to a number of musical theatre schools in the United States. “I auditioned for 14 schools and was lucky enough to be accepted to Elon University in North Carolina,” she said. “Elon has one of the top five musical theatre schools in the country. It was an incredible experience. Elon really prepares you for the professional world.”
Frohlinger was most recently back in Winnipeg in December to appear in the Manitoba Theatre for Young People’s production of “A Charlie Brown Double Bill.” The year before, she co-starred in the WJT production of “Dear Jack, Dear Louise.”
For the past few years, she reports, she has been appearing in productions right across the country. She has just finished a cross-Canada tour of “Glory,” a new musical created by Canadian playwright Tracey Power, which is based on the true story of four young Canadian women in 1933 who set out to prove that women could play hockey too.
“I played the role of one of the women ho was Jewish and also had to deal with anti-Semitism,” she notes.
And after “The Little Mermaid” -. “I am always open to new opportunities,” she says.
Local News
The Jewish Post Ltd. launches new website for food lovers
By BERNIE BELLAN Three months ago I wrote a story about something my daughter, Shira, had started doing on social media that had proved to be wildly successful – much to her own surprise. That story was titled: Local foodie finds fame by trying foods on Facebook Marketplace
What Shira was doing was going on to Facebook Marketplace and trying different foods that she was able to buy from local vendors. She often didn’t know what the heck it was she was ordering, but each time she would get a new food she would film herself reacting to that food.
The results have been consistently entertaining – often hilarious, to the point where Shira now has over 10,300 followers on Instagram, as well as on Facebook, TikTok, and Youtube. (You can find her Instagram page at Winnipeg Marketplace Food Finds.)
I suggested to Shira that she ought to parlay the success she’s found by posting on social media into a further venture: creating a website that would give wider exposure to the food vendors whose food Shira liked the most.
As a result, Shira and I teamed up with the marvellous web designer whose name is Mario Lacunza who is responsible for the design of jewishpostandnews.ca -to create a brand new website called Winnipeg Marketplace Food Finds.
On that website you will find pictures of some of the most popular foods Shira has tried from Marketplace, along with links to the original Instagram posts where she reviewed those foods – and links that will take you directly to the vendors’ Facebook pages.
There are so many brilliantly creative people selling food on Marketplace and Shira’s social media posts have brought many of them a lot of new business. Our hope is that our new website will bring them even more business.
The website will also offer stories about food from a variety of sources. So, take a look at the new site and be amazed at the originality of the foods being produced on Facebook Marketplace.
Local News
UNVEILING for the headstone of Dr. Velimir Kon (Sept. 18, 1950-June 27, 2025)
A true mensch and person of many talents and profoundness, Dr. Velimir (Shlomo) Kon is deeply missed and loved by his family and friends.
Known for his warmth, kindness, integrity and love of learning and teaching, Velimir continues to inspire all who knew him and his memory warms our hearts and souls. Velimir is deeply missed.
You are invited to helps us remember and honour our beloved husband and father who passed away almost a year ago.
We, Branka, Deborah and Lea Kon, wish to inform our relatives and friends of the unveiling of a headstone dedicated to his loving memory on FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2026 at 11:00am at the HEBREW SICK CEMETERY (2605 McPhillips Street) followed by lunch at the Chabad Lubavitch of Winnipeg – Jewish Learning Centre (1845 Mathers Avenue). Please come say a l’chaim in his honour.
In Memoriam
1st Yahrzeit
In loving memory of Dr. Velimir (Shlomo) Kon who passed away June 27, 2025, 12 Days in Tammuz.
⁃ Forever and deeply loved and missed by his wife of over 50 years, Branka, and daughters Deborah and Lea Kon. Velimir brought joy to our lives with his boundless kindness and gentleness, irrepressible humour, great intellect and love of people, tikun olam and Judaism.
Not a day goes by that we do not mention Velimir and feel his presence with us. Our lives are not the same without him and we deeply miss and cherish him. We can never forget his presence that was larger than life, yet also his humility and thoughtfulness.
A gentleman to the very core, Velimir was respected as a scientist, academic, professor, researcher, and later as a teacher and mentor. He always endeavoured to make every place he worked and lived at better and was able to bridge many cultures. He was Abraham of his generation and made many personal sacrifices; giving up status, position and privilege in order for his family to have a better and peaceful future.
May his memory always be a blessing. He left us at only 74 years young and we wish we had had more time together. Indeed, to know him was to love him.
Local News
Younger Jewish talents continue to shine in their respective categories at annual Winnipeg Music Festival
By MYRON LOVE A number of younger members of our community were repeat stars at the most recent (108th annual) Winnipeg Music Festival – which takes place annually in March. Among the repeat Jewish singers and musicians in the ranks of high achievers this year were” Yale Rayburn-Vander Hout, Gregory Hyman, Alex Schaeffer, Juliet Eskin, Noah Kravetsky, and Lyla Chisick.
Vocalist Yale Rayburn-Vander Hout, the oldest of this year’s group of Jewish repeat winners, was competing in his fifth straight festival, where he continued to build on his accomplishments in previous festivals. This year, the 20-year-old son of Samantha and Peter finished first in two musical theatre categories – songs from musical theatre productions between 1965 and 1999, and shows from the past 26 years. Yale sang “I’m Allergic to Cats,” from the 2016 musical “The Theory of Relativity,” and “Suppertime,” from the 1967 musical, “You’re a Good man, Charlie Brown.”
The former Gray Academy student is currently enrolled at the University of Manitoba’s Desautels Faculty of Music in the Choral program. Yale says that he is hoping to get into the performance track in the fall with the goal of earning a degree in Classical Voice Performance en route to pursuing a career in musical theatre.
As reported previously, Gregory Hyman is a multi-faceted artist who can do it all. The 18-year-old son of Hartley and Rishona Hyman is a singer/songwriter/musician (guitar) who records and performs under the stage name, GMH. His versatility shone through once again in his eighth Music Festival, in which he registered first-place finishes for vocal performances in both “Popular and Contemporary Music” and “TV and Movie Music “categories.
Gregory notes that he was also recommended to compete in the provincial finals in June. The St. John’s-Ravenscourt student (and soon-to be) graduate continues to be busy on stage. In January, he headlined a sold out solo show at Sidestage on Osborne featuring some of his new material. In March, he released an album of his newest songs. Readers can check out his latest compositions on any of the music streaming platforms as well as his own social media (thegmh) on Instagram.
Gregory also continues to host his own podcast: “Talk and Rock with GMH – now in its fifth season – in which he interviews various people in the music business across Canada.
While Gregory says that a musical career is his “dream,” he reports that he is hedging his bets and considering different potential career opportunities. Come September, he will be enrolled at the University of Manitoba in a University One program, which will allow him to select from a variety of courses that can count toward a degree.
Sixteen-year-old Alex Schaeffer won first place this year in the “Musicals Prior to 1965, 16 Years and Under” category with “Try Me” from “She Loves Me,” and was runner-up in the “Musicals 1965 to 1999, 16 Years and Under” category with “On My Own,” from “Les Misérables.” For the son of Marc Schaeffer and Kae Sasaki, this was his fifth year competing in the festival.
The Grant Park High School student made his big stage debut three years ago as Kurt von Trapp in “The Sound of Music,” followed by playing Michael Hobbs in “Elf the Musical” this past winter at the Royal MTC.
Alex recently performed in Grant Park High School’s production of “Something Rotten!” This summer Schaeffer can be seen again at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival, where he will be appearing in a production staged by Rem Lezar Theatre.
Rounding out the voice winners is Lyla Chisick. The daughter of Daniel and Baillee was competing in her second music festival. This year, she scored Gold performances in the “Vocal Solo,” “Manitoba Composers,” and “TV/Movie Musical, 12 and under” categories.
Lyla reports that she began taking voice lessons from Jessica Kos-Whicher three years ago. She says she regularly takes part in the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue Family Service and has sung at several community events. Lyla adds that she is already looking forward to next year’s music festival.
Nate Kravetsky and Juliet Eskin competed in the festival as musicians rather than singers. Juliet, 16, plays the viola, and is also is the violist in the Assiniboine String Quartet. In this, her fifth go-round at the festival, Juliet, the daughter of the musically talented Kelly Robinon and Josh Eskin, had first place finishes in the “Viola Solo, level 8,” “Baroque or Classical Concerto,” and “Romantic Composers” categories.
Juliet originally took up the violin – adding the viola a couple of years after. She also just finished performing in the Grant Park High School production of “Something Rotten!”
Nate Kravetsky is currently in Grade 5 level piano. He studies with Erica Schultz and has been taking lessons from her since age 5.
Nate competed in three categories at the Winnipeg music festival: “Baroque,” “Sonata,” and “Contemporary/own choice.”
His own choice selection was the theme from his favourite video game, “Hollow Knight.”
Nate, who is in Grade 7 at Gray Academy, is also preoccupied preparing for his upcoming bar mitzvah.
We look forward to the continued musical success off Yale, Gregory, Alex, Nate, Juliet and Lyla, and what new talent may be unveiled at next year’s Winnipeg Music festival.
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