Colleen Furlan follows grandmother's footsteps at Rainbow Stage

Winnipeg's Colleen Furlan stars as Ariel in Rainbow Stage's Canadian premiere of The Little Mermaid opening August 13.

Sixty years ago Furlan's grandmother, Myrna-Lou McGregor, also graced Rainbow Stage. She was an ensemble member of the first Rainbow Stage productions staged by The Winnipeg Summer Theatre Association including Oklahoma, Annie Get Your Gun, and Wizard of Oz, among others.

"I'm just thrilled to be able to play a dream role," said Furlan.

"As much as I wish she were here to see it, I think she's watching up above wherever she is. I think she'd be very proud and I'm honoured to step in her footsteps."

McGregor kept a scrapbook documenting her time at Rainbow Stage that includes torn tickets, programs, newspaper articles and photos. The scrapbook only recently came to light when family went through her belongings following her death in 2011. Furlan's uncle kept it for a time, then passed it on to Furlan because he thought she would appreciate it.

The family had no idea she'd kept the scrapbook.

"I thought it was amazing. It's neat that I can look back on this, and it being the 60th anniversary [of Rainbow Stage] this year is even more special and I just keep learning new things about her that I really appreciate," said Furlan.

The Little Mermaid runs at Rainbow Stage August 13 - 29.