Colours of Theatre

BY ARI WEINBERG ARTISTIC & MANAGING DIRECTOR, WINNIPEG JEWISH THEATRE

Put on some disco, throw on your tutu and get your GROOVE ON!

In 2015, having just turned 31 and in my first few months as the ArtisticDirector of the Winnipeg Jewish Theatre, I was asked to write a letter tomy younger self as a theatre practitioner. Here’s part of what I wrote:

You are not everyone's cup of tea, and that is ok!

Dear Younger Self, It’s all going to happen. Really. In ways, you had hoped for and ways you never dreamed, so breathe. Enjoy the quiet moments. Find the quiet moments and appreciate them. You don’t need to try so hard. Those gigs you really wanted but didn’t get, let them go. Please don’t fret about them. Coulda, woulda, shoulda? Nah. They weren’t meant to be. Remember what Marie said: “You get the gig you’re supposed to get.” But you also get the gigs you take because you needed the money, and the ones where you feel like shit because people try to steal your gold or squash your spirit...yeah. Let the shitty feelings go but don’t lose the memory. That’s where you learn how to be a leader. That’s how you learn to treat people the way they should be treated. Humility and respect - always strive for them - and you will fail at times, but recognize it, forgive yourself and move on. Ever striving for humility and respect. Don’t squash your spirit. Ever. Though there are times where you feel it’s too big for a room...don’t squash it...find a bigger room. Or find people who get it, who get you. They are out there. They are mentors, peers, family, and friends. Their spirit meshes with yours - you learn from each other. Your brain is busy trying to please everyone, trying to do what’s right, trying to make people like you. Don’t worry about pleasing people, don’t worry about right. Look at the big picture, do what’s honest. Treat people with respect; if they don’t respect you, then move on. You are not everyone’s cup of tea, and that is okay. Not everyone is your cup of tea, and that is okay. Celebrate something every day: a failure, tripping on the sidewalk, noticing something you haven’t seen before in a place you visit every day, a friend’s accomplishment. Celebrate. Do something every day for your career: Read an article. Write a thank-you note. Edit your resume. Draft a cover letter. Set a goal. Don’t over-plan, though, cos it’s not going to go the way you’d like it to or want it to or hoped it would. There are surprises every day- positive and negative- celebrate them. Learn from them. Be open to change. Revel in the unknown. Own up to your mistakes; you make a bunch every day. Own up to them and move on...a little wiser.

Six years later, having just turned 37 and having run WJT throughout the pandemic, here’s a letter to 31-year old me:

Dear Younger Self, You’re stronger than you know. You can move mountains and make your dreams come true. But you are also going to feel alone in ways you never knew. Leading can be lonely at times. The decisions - so many decisions - small ones, large ones, and those in-between that are invisible to most people-weigh greatly on you. “This, not that.” “This because of that.” “I have to let go of this to accomplish that.” Leading is hard. Decisions are hard, especially when sometimes you make the wrong, but the right decisions come at a cost, too. Own it all, the failures, the successes, the in-betweens. Own it all and let it go. Find the space, the time, the courage to exhale. And don’t forget to dance. You love to dance.Times will get hairy, and decisions will mount, and you will forget to dance. Don’t. Tell Google play to put on some disco, throw on your tutu and get your groove on. Try and do it every day. And it doesn’t have to be on Instagram; it can just be for you. Take time for yourself every day. Work will run you over if you let it. There will always be decisions and emails, so carve out your personal time and protect it. Paint your nails. Pink, purple, turquoise, or glittery green, you can still be a boss with nails and your tutu, though some people may raise an eyebrow, NUTS TO THEM. You do it to feel good, to be yourself.