International Women’s Day 2007

celebration at the MANITOBALEGISLATIVEBUILDING

Guest Biographies

Speaker – Kerri Armstrong

Kerri Armstrong is the personification of a working woman to whom multi-tasking is second nature. She is a single mother who has managed to successfully divide her time between her family, job, community, personal goals and hobbies.

Talented in drama and theatre, Armstrong teaches five courses at Prairie Theatre Exchange Studios including:

  • pre-school drama (three and four year olds and their parents in class);
  • dress-up drama (four and five years olds);
  • story drama (five and six year olds);
  • puppetry; and
  • advanced puppetry.

Armstrong also teaches at-risk youth atGilbert Park through the Nor-West Community Health Centre/Boys and Girls Club once a week and is the co-ordinator for Downtown Drama, a program that offers free mask-making/puppetry and drama days for inner-city students.

When she is not handling reception and accounting duties at her job at CJOB/Power 97, Armstrong may be found working on one of the three courses in theatre and film and psychology she is taking at the University of Winnipeg where she expects to graduate in this spring.

An avid writer with a highly creative mind, Armstrong was recently a finalist for Theatre B.C.'s playwriting contest. Her play will be part of a workshop in Kamloops this April.

She has had readings at the Prairie Theatre Exchange’s Carol Shields Festival of New Work, Winnipeg Writer’s Festival and Theatre Projects Manitoba and her play, The Apple Seed Girl,was produced by Sarasvati Productions as part of FemFest 2005. She is also producing the play for the Winnipeg Fringe Festival this year.

The recipient of an Emerging Playwrights grant from Manitoba Arts Council, Armstrong was also commissioned to write a play for Westwood Collegiate.

Community-minded, Armstrong volunteers five hours a week at the Children’s Hospital. She hosts its inner-hospital television show on Thursday and, on Friday, she’s a ward visitor. She works with terminally-ill children or children with cancer, playing games with the children or snuggling the infants.

In her spare time, Armstrong loves to knit. She buys sweaters from thrift stores and recycles the yarn to make new products. She also makes bath fizzies, which are currently being sold at Stulka in OsborneVillage.

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Singer – Maiko Watson

Maiko Watson is Guyanese born singer/songwriter from Winnipeg. Her music displays a silky songwriting skill that channels soul, funk, jazz and blues, layered with vocals that range from an angelic sweetness to a raspy drawl. She spends her time in Winnipeg, writing and producing tunes for her upcoming debut album.

Watson’s talent as a singer first got her noticed by the music industry in 2000, when she was chosen to be part of the girl group Sugar Jones. After two top 10 hits, a platinum-selling album and two national tours, Watson continued to tour internationally as a backup singer for Motown artist, Remy Shand.

Upon returning home, Watson decided to focus her energy on bettering herself as a musician. She spent the next few years learning to play, arrange and produce her own music. Her debut album will be released in 2007.

Guitarist – James Rewucki

James Rewucki is the president of Absurd Machine Records and Films. He has been active as a filmmaker, composer and performer in the local arts community for the past 20 years.

Rewucki has produced more than a dozen records for the Absurd Machine label and has shared the stage with a wide variety of local and international talent. He is currently the front man for local rock group Dr. Rage & The Uppercuts, who were recently featured in Guitar Player magazine.