Playwright on display, instead of shoes, at Saskatoon storefront

In the storefront window of Foster's Shoes on Broadway Ave. in Saskatoon, Joel Bernbaum will be writing short plays with the help of shoppers, starting Friday.

The artist director of Sum Theatre is kicking off the theatre company's two year artist in residency in the Nutana neighbourhood with Playwright in a Shop.

"We as playwrights often work in solitary confinement, struggling with our words, trying to figure out the exact word to say. So it's a a huge challenge, but I think challenge is important," said Bernbaum.

"I think by forcing the playwrights into a place that they are not necessarily comfortable with, we will actually come up with even more innovative plays than we're used to."

People are invited to share their ideas and help Bernbaum craft 10 minute plays about issues facing the community of Nutana. The stories will be projected onto a monitor facing the street as they're being written.

"Theatre after all is a public act. So we thought 'how can we make the playwriting process public?'" said Bernbaum.

"If you're actually involved in creating a play and part of this process in a true sense, you are delving into what it means to you to be creative and you utilize and tap into your own creative being. I think that not only betters the artist product but creates artists in all of us. "

The idea came to the theatre company from Nutana Talks, sponsored by the Saskatchewan Arts Board. Sum Theatre interviewed 100 people in Nutana to get their input on how the arts can make an impact on the community. People voted on their favourite ideas, Playwright in a Shop being one.

Bernbaum says the community has been feeling anxious about losing its cool factor to Riversdale. He hopes the theatre company's artist in residency can bring artistic innovation to the neighbourhood.

"So we're very excited Foster's shoes agreed to have us in their front window, and we're very interested to see what their customers think of playwriting happening right when they are getting their shoe sizes fitted," he said.

Bernbaum will spend a week at Foster's Shoes and then the project will move to The Better Good on October 6th to October 10th, where playwright Yvette Nolan will take over.

Once the scripts are completed, a few will be selected to become pop-up plays. The shows will be spontaneously performed in the Nutana neighbourhood by professional actors next spring. 

"I think art truly is for everyone, and if you can think, and if you can feel, then you can create. So hopefully we'll hatch some more playwrights out of this process," Bernbaum said.