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An interview with Sam McLean, new General Manager of Winnipeg Jewish Theatre, on the launch of the theatre’s 35th season
By ALON WEINBERG Sam McLean may be new to the position of general manager of the Winnipeg Jewish Theatre, but he’s no stranger to the organization, which opened its 35th season with Hannah Moscovitch’s musical, “Old Stock,” on October 29th. Officially taking over as GM August 1st with the departure of previous theatre head Ari Weinberg, McLean enthusiastically welcomed patrons back indoors to the Berney Theatre for Old Stock’s preview show on Oct. 27th for the first time since “Two Birds One Stone” played in February 2020 on the eve of the global pandemic.
McLean began with the WJT as its box office administrator in 2018, moving on to assistant producer and then up to a full producer in November 2021, before taking over as general manager in time for the launch of the new season. I asked Sam about whether taking over as manager so close to the launch of the first post-pandemic season created a challenging transition for the theatre, to which he explained the transition has been a smooth one:
“The main thing is we’re interviewing for our next artistic director and hopefully we’ll have some info to share about that soon but right now it’s still in that interview process. As it is, we had the fortune that (former manager) Ari (Weinberg) has always had a lot of long-term season planning. So, we had this whole season all locked down before everything changed with him moving to the new position at Stratford Festival. So the nice thing is that this is his last programmed season, and as the next artistic director comes on, they’ll kind of inherit that and have their own season announcement coming up.”
This 35th season features “Old Stock,“ which ended its run Nov. 6; “Narrow Bridge” in March 2023 by local playwright Daniel Thau-Eleff (which had been scheduled for April 2020 and cancelled due to Covid-19); “Summer of Semitism” by Ori Black; and Deborah Yarchun’s “A Pickle,” which will be held in the theatre’s outdoor tent first assembled and used for shows in 2021.
I asked Sam about the sort of shows the theatre puts on, noting that “Old Stock” had a raunchy edge, with more gutter-talk than one might expect from a theatre with many older patrons.
“In the last 4 years that I’ve been at the theatre, we’ve always had a wide variety in the kind of shows that we put on, and that’s especially the case with this season. It’s this dark but also very light and silly musical to start things off, and then the different shows all bring something very different quality-wise. Our outdoor show A Pickle is really sweet and heartwarming. Narrow Bridge is really interesting because not only is the person discovering their identity through gender, but through their relationship to Orthodox Judaism. Summer of Semitism is a wonderful show for how it puts so much suspense into things that you have such grounded faith in with friendships being on the line based on how people want to highlight a crisis. Each one of them balances out a different flavour to the overall quality of the season.”
The last couple of years under pandemic-driven public health restrictions were not easy for any entertainment-based sectors of the economy, especially live theatre, but the WJT adapted like many others, producing both online and outdoor performances. Past popular show “Becoming Dr. Ruth” was screened digitally, as was “True Colors” during the 2020-2021 season, as much of the world moved online. “Dear Jack, Dear Louise” was the first outdoor live theatre show that WJT staged, in June 2021, followed by “The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk” and “Chutzpah and Salsa” returning to the tent in June of this year to conclude the 2021-2022 season, which also included “25 Questions for a Jewish Mother” online.
After witnessing Sam’s enthusiasm during his show introduction to Old Stock before the first indoor show in over two and a half years, I asked Sam to expound upon his feelings on being back inside:
“It’s just such a wonderful thing… it’s as if we’d never been gone. Coming back to the Berney Theatre, it is WJT’s home base. And being there with the crowd giving the pre-show speech, as I’ve done before, as Ari had done before, everything just clicks and goes along – and it’s not to say that our shows didn’t run well in our outdoor setup; we’ll be doing one again this summer – but it’s just nice that we’ve got that reliable setup that we know so well and we’ve been missing in this time that we’ve been away. Indoor live theatre is just what we know best. So, it was really nice to return to that.”
Judging from the opening crowd of Old Stock, patrons of The Winnipeg Jewish Theatre were just as eager to return to the Berney Theatre, with nearly all patrons still taking care to mask-up. If you haven’t been back, an excellent season of theatre is well under way. Sam McLean and a creative lineup of shows are waiting to welcome you back.
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UK Prosecutors Try to Reinstate Terrorism Charge Against Kneecap Rapper
Member of Kneecap Liam O’Hanna, also known as Liam Og O hAnnaidh and performing under the name of Mo Chara, speaks to supporters outside Woolwich Crown Court, after a UK court threw out his prosecution for a terrorism offense, in London, Britain, Sept. 26, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Hannah McKay
British prosecutors sought to reinstate a terrorism charge against a member of Irish rap group Kneecap on Wednesday for displaying a flag of Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah at a London gig, after a court threw out the case last year.
Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, whose stage name is Mo Chara, was accused of having waved the flag of the banned Islamist group Hezbollah during a November 2024 gig.
The charge was thrown out in September after a court ruled it had originally been brought without the permission of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Attorney General, and also one day outside the six-month statutory limit.
But the Crown Prosecution Service said it would challenge the ruling and its lawyer Paul Jarvis told London’s High Court on Wednesday that permission was only required by the time Ó hAnnaidh first appeared in court, meaning the case can proceed.
Kneecap – known for their politically charged lyrics and anti-Israel activism – have said the case is an attempt to distract from what they described as British complicity in Israel’s so-called “genocide” in Gaza. Israel strongly denies committing a genocide in the coastal territory, where it launched a military campaign against Hamas after the Palestinian terrorist group invaded Israeli territory.
J.J. Ó Dochartaigh, who goes by DJ Próvaí, was in court but Ó hAnnaidh was not required to attend and was not present.
KNEECAP SAYS PROSECUTION A DISTRACTION
Ó hAnnaidh was charged in May with displaying the Hezbollah flag in such a way that aroused reasonable suspicion that he supported the banned group, after footage emerged of him holding the flag on stage while saying “Up Hamas, up Hezbollah.”
Kneecap have previously said the flag was thrown on stage during their performance and that they “do not, and have never, supported Hamas or Hezbollah.”
The group, who rap about Irish identity and support the republican cause of uniting Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland, have become increasingly vocal about the war in Gaza, particularly after Ó hAnnaidh was charged in May.
During their performance at June’s Glastonbury Festival in England, Ó hAnnaidh accused Israel of committing war crimes, after Kneecap displayed pro-Palestinian messages during their set at the Coachella Festival in California in April.
Kneecap have since been banned from Hungary and Canada, also canceling a tour of the United States due to a clash with Ó hAnnaidh’s court appearances.
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German-Israel Deal Strengthens Cyber Defense, German Minister Says
A German and Israeli flag fly, on the day Chancellor Friedrich Merz meets with Israeli President Isaac Herzog for talks, in Berlin, Germany, May 12, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Liesa Johannssen
A new German-Israel agreement aims to counter cyber threats and enhance security infrastructure, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told parliament on Wednesday.
Dobrindt signed the agreement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem over the weekend.
The collaboration includes the development of a joint “cyber dome” system, an artificial intelligence and cyber innovation center, drone defense cooperation, and improved civilian warning systems.
“We have already had a trusting partnership in the past, which we want to strengthen further,” Dobrindt said. “Israel has extensive experience in cyber defense. We want to benefit from that.”
The German Interior Ministry said on Monday the agreement would extend to protecting energy infrastructure and connected vehicle networks, in addition to enhancing collaboration in civil protection, counter-terrorism, and criminal prosecution.
European countries are facing increasing pressure to fortify their cyber defense systems against sophisticated attacks.
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France Explores Sending Eutelsat Terminals to Iran Amid Internet Blackout
French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot attends the questions to the government session at the National Assembly in Paris, France, Jan. 13, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq
France is looking into sending Eutelsat satellite terminals to Iran to help citizens after Iranian authorities imposed a blackout of internet services in a bid to quell the country’s most violent domestic unrest in decades.
“We are exploring all options, and the one you have mentioned is among them,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Wednesday in the lower house after a lawmaker asked whether France would send Eutelsat gear to Iran.
Backed by the French and British governments, Eutelsat owns OneWeb, the only low Earth orbit constellation, or group of satellites, besides Elon Musk’s Starlink.
The satellites are used to beam internet service from space, providing broadband connectivity to businesses, governments, and consumers in underserved areas.
Iranian authorities in recent days have launched a deadly crackdown that has reportedly killed thousands during protests against clerical rule, and imposed a near-complete shutdown of internet service.
Still, some Iranians have managed to connect to Starlink satellite internet service, three people inside the country said.
Even Starlink service appears to be reduced, Alp Toker, founder of internet monitoring group NetBlocks said earlier this week.
Eutelsat declined to comment when asked by Reuters about Barrot’s remarks and its activities in Iran.
Starlink’s more than 9,000 satellites allow higher speeds than Eutelsat‘s fleet of over 600, and its terminals connecting users to the network are cheaper and easier to install.
Eutelsat also provides internet access to Ukraine’s military, which has relied on Starlink to maintain battlefield connectivity throughout the war with Russia.
Independent satellite communications adviser Carlos Placido said OneWeb terminals are bulkier than Starlink’s and easier to jam.
“The sheer scale of the Starlink constellation makes jamming more challenging, though certainly not impossible,” Placido said. “With OneWeb it is much easier to predict which satellite will become online over a given location at a given time.”