Winterruption

Jan. 22 – 26, Various Venues

Winterruption is a five-day entertainment buffet designed to help shake off the winter blues. This year’s lineup includes comedians Brian Posehn, Ali Hassan and Steve Paterson, the interactive singing group Choir! Choir! Choir!, pop songstress Begonia and a presentation of Burnt Thicket Theatre’s Every Brilliant Thing. There’s so much more on the program, both indoor and outdoor, that you will just have to check it out for yourself. Tickets are $15 – $45 and some events are free.

Reasonable Doubt

Jan. 29 – Feb. 12, Persephone Theatre

From the creators of some of the most topical theatre productions our city has seen in the past few years comes a new show based on tragic real events. Joel Bernbaum, Lancelot Knight and Yvette Nolan have teamed up to create Reasonable Doubt, a world premiere produced by Persephone Theatre. This is a documentary play about the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in our community. It is fuelled by the response to the death of Colton Boushie, an Indigenous man who was fatally shot on a Saskatchewan farm in 2016. The trial and media firestorm that followed polarized our community, and this show takes an inclusive look at public opinion surrounding the events. The production will be followed by post-show discussions with the audience and is meant to be a first step towards healing. Tickets are $41 – $51.

Jim Gaffigan

Jan. 31, SaskTel Centre

Grammy-nominated comedian and New York Times best-selling author Jim Gaffigan is back out on the road with his The Pale Tourist tour. Gaffigan has delighted audiences around the world with his clean jokes about fun, food and fatherhood. Along with his work as a standup comedian and author, Gaffigan is also an actor and film producer. Tickets are $62 – $240.

Unmasked

Feb. 27 – March 8, The Refinery

Theatre is often an intimate experience for the performers and the audience, but it’s a rare thing when the show gets truly personal. Unmasked is a brand-new play that has performer Megan Zong mining her memories, journals and doctors’ notes to retrace her encounter with mental illness. Zong has partnered with friend and experimental musician respectfulchild to tell the tale. Tickets are $22 – $26.

Accent with the SSO

March 21, TCU Place

If you like the wall of sound that comes out of six-part harmony, you won’t want to miss the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra’s show in March. The SSO is teaming up with vocal jazz group Accent as the group debuts a new show built for orchestras. Saskatoon’s own Danny Fong and Andrew Kesler have been touring internationally with Accent and this show is a special homecoming for the pair. The concert will be a beautiful blend of jazz, pop and contemporary a cappella music and is sure to delight all ages. Tickets are $53 – $73.

(Britainy Zapshalla is a freelance journalist and arts publicist in Saskatoon. As a journalist, she has worked with CBC, CTV, The Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Refined SK and britspicks. com. As a publicist and consultant, she has worked with groups such as Sum Theatre, the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra and Gordon Tootoosis Nikaniwin Theatre.)

-Britainy Zapshalla