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Winnipeg Jewish Theatre to present Canadian premiere of “The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk”
By BERNIE BELLAN Following upon the Winnipeg Jewish Theatre’s resounding success with its 2021 summertime production of “Dear Jack Dear Louise,” the WJT is once again about to present a play outdoors, beginning June 11, with the Canadian premiere of “The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk”.
Since I really knew nothing about this upcoming production, other than how it was described in an ad that ran in our last issue: “Art comes to life in this music-filled tale of the romance between Marc and Bella Chagall,” I thought I’d better contact WJT Artistic Director Ari Weinberg to give me a more complete description of what this play is all about.
Ari said: “It’s a play by Daniel Jamieson, who’s a British playwright. It tells the story of the relationship between Marc and Bella Chagall. It’s all about their love for each other and the history of their relationship – and his painting, and the story of their meeting in 1914 in Vitebsk, the revolution in Russia, how they survived pogroms together, built a life together, and when she passed away, he shared the stories and the notebooks that she wrote – so the play is all about creativity and love.”
I asked: “How is the play set? Is it dialogue between the two or is it reading out reminiscences – or letters (as was the case in “Dear Jack Dear Louise”)?”
Ari: “It’s sort of a memory play. It starts with Marc as an old man and then it goes back in time and we see various snippets of their relationship at various points in their lives. The time is a bit fluid – it’s mostly chronological, but there are a couple of moments when we go backward in time. It’s sort of like a dream play…it’s sort of like his paintings.
“There are scenes where they talk to each other, and there are scenes where they talk directly to the audience. We also have a pianist and a cellist to play this beautiful music – there are also dance sequences throughout the show.”
JP&N: “There’s no singing then?”
Ari: “There is. There are a couple of songs in the show.”
JP&N: “It sounds highly original. Where has this play been staged before now?”
Ari went on to describe how it was first staged by a British-based theatrical company known as “Knee high” which, unfortunately, was forced to close as a result of the hit that Covid took on almost all live theatrical productions.
“The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk” was first performed seven years ago, Ari explained – which also corresponded with his first year as WJT Artistic Director.
“It received rave reviews,” he noted, and it “toured a little bit in Britain.”
“I actually tried to get this play,” he said – “in the same year we did ‘Dr. Ruth.’”
At the time though, Ari continued, “Knee high” was actually hoping to tour the play throughout North America, including Canada, and they wanted to do the Canadian premiere themselves (even though their planned tour didn’t include Winnipeg), “so we didn’t get the rights.”
“After the pandemic,” Ari said, after the success of “Dear Jack Dear Louise” I began thinking of other shows we could produce and this one came up.”
Like “Dear Jack Dear Louise,” “The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk” is going to be performed in a tent.
“Chagall painted on a canvas. This play will be performed inside a canvas,” Ari observed. “How do we bring people into the world of Chagall? This play seemed like the perfect play to do.”
This will be the first production outside of the UK production then – which toured in the States, Ari said, but “this will be the Canadian premiere – the first production to ever happen that was not the original production.
“The really other beautiful thing about our production,” Ari continued, “is we’re doing it in the round – so the tent will be set up and the set is a giant circle.”
As far as the performers go, Ari said “We have two incredible young performers: Daniel Greenberg, who is from Toronto, and Isidora Kecman, who is also from Toronto. They sing, they dance, they act – they’re incredible performers.”
As I was preparing to end my conversation with Ari, I added this comment: “Marc Chagall; he was quite the surrealist. I can just imagine what your set is going to look like – dancing cows and, of course, the moon prominently featured – right?”
Ari: “Wait till you see it. There are props that evoke his paintings – we’ve got a cow and a rooster that look like they came right out of his paintings.”
Sounds like a real trip!
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First year medical student Tim Rozovsky founds new association for local Jewish medical students
By MYRON LOVE In the face of a concerning surge in antisemitism over the past nearly three years, I am happy to report a good news story in that regard. Tim Rozovsky, the founder of the new Jewish Medical Students’ Association of Manitoba, reports that he and his fellow Jewish students enrolled in the University of Manitoba’s Max Rady College of Medicine are not experiencing any significant issues involving antisemitism.
Hopefully, the matter of the notorious Med school Valedictorian who used his podium to attack Israel was a one-off.
“My goal in forming the Jewish Medical Students’ Association of Manitoba,” says the first year medical student, “was to create a safe, supportive environment for my fellow Jewish medical students.”
He reports that the current first year class at the school has eight Jewish students – an increase over more recent years – with maybe a dozen more in the other years.
For a new medical student, Rozovsky already has an impressive resume. He was born in Russia and grew up in Israel. After the completion of his army service in 2018, the then-22-year-old rejoined his parents, Dr. Katya and Alexander, who had moved to Winnipeg a few years before.
Prior to coming to Winnipeg, Rozovsky had completed a personal trainer program out of The Academic College at Wingate in Jerusalem. Some readers may know the young man from his work as a Master Personal Trainer at the Rady JCC.
Shortly after arriving here, he enrolled in a kinesiology program at the University of Winnipeg. He graduated with a BKin Honours in 2023 and did post graduate work at the University of Manitoba. Last fall, he received his MSc in Physiology and Pathophysiology – earning two gold medals, along with 32 awards and scholarships in the process.
Rozovsky says that it was his mother who inspired him to pursue a career in medicine. Dr. Katya Rozovsky is an associate professor at the University of Manitoba and an attending radiologist, specializing in pediatric diagnostic imaging.
(Tim also adds that his wife, Irina Gelzin, whom he married about a year ago, is training to be a nurse.)
Insofar as the Jewish Medical Students’ Association of Manitoba is concerned, Rozovky reports that the group gets together multiple times a year. One of its programs was a joint Chanukah celebration with the Jewish Physicians Association of Manitoba.
There was also a joint program with the Christian Medical and Dental Students’ Association of Manitoba.
“More recently, we have been helping prospective Jewish medical students with their applications,” he says. “Hopefully we will be able to get together over the summer with the incoming Jewish students.”
As to his own future plans, Rozovsky notes that it is too early for him to be deciding on a specialty. “My goal,” he says, “is to work hard and get good grades and become the best doctor that I can be.”
Local News
Gray Academy to Represent Manitoba at National Reach for the Top Competition
By NOAH STRAUSS Posted June 6) Gray Academy’s Reach for the Top team is headed to Moncton, New Brunswick, to represent Manitoba at the National Reach for the Top tournament.
Reach for the Top is a Canadian school league that quizzes teenagers on a variety of different topics, from science and history to pop culture. Reach started out in 1961 in Vancouver, where a local CBC station broadcasted the new show; it eventually became a national broadcast starting in 1966. Alex Trebek, who famously hosted Jeopardy!, started out by hosting Reach for the Top.
Gray Academy’s very own team, made up of Grade 7 and 8 students, will travel to Moncton, New Brunswick, to compete as Team Manitoba. By winning the provincial Reach tournament, they secured their spot in the national competition.
Faculty members at Gray Academy are very supportive of the program. The Jewish Post spoke with three different staff members at the school. Coach and high school teacher Danielle Miller says she is excited for the trip; although she will not be accompanying the team herself, shehas coached them all year.
“This year we had over 20 students come to the club to join us, they practice twice a cycle at lunch,” Miller said. Due to the large turnout this year, two teams had to be formed. At lunch practices, students split into two teams of four where each player has a buzzer. The two teams compete to see who can answer the most questions correctly.
One of the two teams did exceptionally well at various tournaments throughout the year and will be traveling to nationals as the sole team representing Manitoba.
Co-coach Micah Doerksen described Reach as a great academic competition where young minds are tested on various topics through quick,fast-paced questions.
High school guidance counselor Lindsey Leipsic said, “We have athletes, non-athletes, we have students who are really involved and students who are not as involved at school, and we have quiet leaders, and we’ve seen friendships be built in Reach.” Some of her favorite memories of Reach involve seeing students from across Winnipeg come to Gray Academy and bond with one another. Lev Chisick, who is competing at nationals, agreed, saying, “Moncton is going to strengthen our school spirit and make us a better team.”
As the junior team makes their way to Moncton, the senior team will head to provincials. Later this week, students from the senior team will travel to Virden, Manitoba, to compete at the provincial level. The team qualified after placing high enough at their most recent tournament, which took place at St. Paul’s.
Confidence is high as the school heads into these final tournaments. When Nath Goldenberg, who is also competing at nationals, was asked what he is most looking forward to, his answer was short and sweet:“Winning.”
