Spotlight - Sharon Bajer

“Part of what makes you an artist—or driven to create your own work—is isolation, and Winnipeg is fairly isolated,” says Bajer. “I think that on the Prairies, there’s such a long period of time where it’s dark and cold, and people really, really do need art to take them to another place.”

A playwright, actor and director, the British Columbia native is a true triple threat, having spent the majority of her life taking people to other places through her work. After graduating from the renowned theatre program Studio 58 in 1989, Bajer was lured to Winnipeg by what is now Manitoba Theatre for Young People to perform in a musical. “Before that, I had never been east of Alberta!” she laughs.

She quickly got another job at Prairie Theatre Exchange (PTE) and has been based out of Winnipeg ever since, a decision chalked up to the many opportunities in theatre in the city. “Part of the reason I live in Winnipeg is because theatre seems to be part of the general population’s vocabulary, whereas in Vancouver, very few people went to the theatre,” she says. “We also have excellent funding bodies that support theatre. That’s huge, the support from the arts councils and the support from the people.”

An actor for more than 20 years, Bajer has worked across Canada, in Europe and in Israel and has amassed an impressive list of credits, including roles in the locally filmed Jennifer Lopez film Shall We Dance? and dozens of onstage performances at PTE, Manitoba Theatre Centre and other theatre organizations. Her expertise in the industry also led to teaching jobs at PTE, the Academy of Acting and the Winnipeg Film Group.

While Bajer’s enthusiasm for acting is obvious, her passion for playwriting is also unmistakable. “Pretty much the whole time I have been an actress, there has been something I’ve been working on, writing-wise,” says Bajer, a member of PTE’s Playwrights Unit. Some of her best known work includes the play Molly’s Veil, a dramatization of the life of Ottawa’s first female mayor, and her latest work, the comedy Burnin’ Love, will premiere at PTE in March 2011.

Three years ago, Bajer also started directing, first using her own original work and then tackling others’ productions. “Directing is often the logical next step if you’re still in theatre after all of that time. I realized I am able to use the knowledge I gained in the industry in my directing,” she says. “I love interpreting a piece of theatre.” This past summer, she was selected as one of 11 participants in the prestigious Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Direction to hone her directorial skills, which will be put to use when she directs a play at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival of Canada in October. “I’m hoping to come back to Winnipeg a stronger and more experienced director.”

Though her work in the three disciplines—and running after her three children—keeps her plenty busy, Bajer also remains a staunch supporter of the local theatre scene. She helped establish a small theatre company called the Winnipegger Ensemble, which recently produced the show To The Country at the Gas Station Theatre, and she always makes sure to catch the Fringe Festival whenever possible to show her support for the local performers.

“The most challenging part of this industry is to always keep theatre relevant to a contemporary audience. You want to make sure that younger people are still engaging in the art form, because sometimes it feels like theatre is kind of going by the wayside,” she says. “I think that’s why the Fringe Festival is so important.”

And despite the aforementioned need for a little isolation, Bajer’s favourite part of the industry actually stems from the level of teamwork involved. “I love the collaborative nature of it—the fact that theatre only works when you’re working with other people,” she says. “As an actor, you’re playing a role; as a playwright, you’re contributing the text; and as a director, you’re staging the piece. I absolutely love working with all of the other artists.”