Artistic associate Jennica Grienke said Persephone has been “putting a lot of care and thought” into ensuring there’s female representation on stage, both in terms of the stories being told and the artists being hired. This is particularly relevant in light of the #MeToo movement, which helped raise awareness around the world about issues of sexual harassment and sexual assault in the workplace.

“We took a close look at our season and thought, ‘We really need to tell these stories,’ ” said Grienke. Persephone’s new theatre season will kick off with GLORY. It’s a heart-warming show inspired by the true story of Canada’s own Preston Rivulettes, an allfemale hockey team in Ontario in the early 1930s.

As Persephone Theatre describes it, GLORY “is the story of four friends who set out in 1933 to prove to Canada that a woman’s place is . . . on home ice.” As the women fight through the Depression, prejudice and looming tensions in Europe, their experiences are brought to life through swing dance and music from the jazz age.

Grienke describes GLORY as similar to the famed plot of A League of Their Own – only with hockey instead of baseball, and set in Canada instead of the U.S. The playwright, Tracey Power, was inspired to write GLORY after seeing a surprising photo of the Rivulettes.

“She knew nothing about it,” said Grienke. “She was so surprised about the fact that women were playing at such a high level of hockey in that time, and she felt so disappointed in historians – in her own education, I suppose – and the history that we teach one another. She thought, ‘We need to tell this story.’ ”

GLORY will run from Sept. 25 to Oct. 9.

Following GLORY, the world premiere of Michaela Jeffery’s W.R.O.L. (Without Rule of Law) will come to the Persephone Theatre main stage. Described by Persephone as “a darkly comic coming-of-age story,” the play depicts a group of eighth grade “Doomers” who decide to prepare for survival in the postcollapse society they expect to inherit.

Grienke noted there actually are young women on YouTube who are prepping for disaster, and Jeffery’s story draws inspiration from that type of mindset. In the midst of the climate crisis, it’s obvious that young people feel older generations haven’t stewarded the Earth well enough for them, said Grienke.

“They trusted us to adequately protect them and we haven’t really followed through on that,” she said.

W.R.O.L. (Without Rule of Law) will run from Oct. 30 to Nov. 13.

Grienke will also direct a show this fall, as part of Persephone Theatre’s Deep End series in The BackStage Stage at the Remai Arts Centre. The play by Catherine Leger, titled I Lost My Husband!, is described by Persephone as “a wicked, smart, feisty, sneakily feminist comedy about the important things in life: love, freedom, karaoke . . . and never letting frozen yogurt stand in the way of your dreams.” It will feature an all-local cast as well as “amazing” designers who will work on the show, said Grienke

The main character in the play runs a yogurt stand and is fiercely independent and in charge of her own life. While the show’s title may suggest a drama, it is actually very funny.

“Losing your husband might be a tragedy to anybody but the lead character in this play. Her name’s Evelyn and she loses her husband in a karaoke bar bet that’s gone wrong,” said Grienke. “She lives and dies by karaoke, and she loses her husband in a bet to the bartender – the barmaid – who is head over heels for her husband. As the show goes on, Evelyn, the lead character, sort of realizes that she might be happier on her own and maybe doesn’t really want to get him back.”

I Lost My Husband! will run from Oct. 16 – 27.

For more information about the Persephone Theatre plays mentioned in this article, or to look at the full 2019-20 season lineup, go online to persephonetheatre.org. Tickets can also be purchased online or by calling the box office at 306-384-7727.

-Shannon Boklaschuk