Strike!

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the musical play. For the 1998 film, see The Hairy Bird.
Strike!
Music Danny Schur
Lyrics Danny Schur
Based upon History of the Winnipeg General Strike
Productions 2005 Rainbow Stage, Winnipeg
Persephone Theatre, Saskatoon

Strike! is a musical depicting the Winnipeg General Strike. It has been adapted into a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation radio production and a 17 minute short film meant to solicit interest in producing a feature film.

Contents

[edit] Content

Strike focuses on Mike Sokolowski, a Ukrainian immigrant from Galicia who was killed by Royal North-West Mounted Police on "Bloody Saturday", 21 June 1919. The account of his life is heavily fictionalized, and is character is composited with another Ukranian-Canadian labourer. Sokolowski begins the play as an anti-Semite who loathes so-called Jewish Bolshevism, but learns better due in part to a romantic sub-plot involving his godson Stefan (originally Myron) and his Jewish neighbour Rebecca.

[edit] Performances and adaptations

After two private workshops in 2003, a public outdoor "preview" of Strike was performed at Old Market Square on May 15th, 2004. In spring 2005, the full play was premiered at Winnipeg's Kildonan Park Stage (aka Rainbow Stage) as an independent production. The next fall, a re-vamped version premiered at Saskatoon's Persephone Theatre. On 15 May 2007, a special performance at the Burton Cummings Theatre was recorded for CBC Radio. The theatre was chosen in part because it had been used as a meeting-place for labour activists prior to the 1919 strike. The radio adaptation was broadcast on Labour Day, 3 September 2007.

[edit] Book

A book based on Strike! was released by Playwrights Canada Press on 10 December, 2007.

[edit] Film

A 17 minute film adaptation of Strike! has been produced and screened publicly. It is meant to solicit interest in producing a feature film, planned for filming in Winnipeg over spring and summer 2008.

[edit] Financing

 Please help improve this section by expanding it.
Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.

Strike was primarily financed by a limited partnership of investors from across Canada, with a mix of arts grants and donations from Canadian labour unions.

[edit] Cast and Crew

Strike was created by Danny Schur, who wrote the music and lyrics and co-wrote the text with Rick Chafe.

[edit] Original (2005) cast

[edit] Radio (2007) cast

  • Jeff Skinner as Mike Sokolowski
  • Marc Devigne as Stefan Dudar
  • Adrienne Merrell as Rebecca Almazoff
  • Kevin Aichele as Senator Robertson

[edit] References

[edit] External links