If you happen to find yourself at the Blyth Festival this summer, in Blyth, Ont., you might want to check out a play directed by Leaside High School alum Vinetta Strombergs. It’s a powerful production of Drew Hayden Taylor’s Sir John A: Acts of a Gentrified Ojibway Rebellion, and it comes at a time when Canadians are reassessing our first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald. (Note: a statue of Sir John A. Macdonald has recently been unboxed at Queen’s Park after several protests and incidents of defacement.)
Vinetta Strombergs has been immersed in the theatre world for years since her graduation from LHS, as an actor, choreographer, dramaturge, teacher, costume designer and, primarily, as a director.
Reviewing her long list of achievements in the arts, one might assume that Strombergs had been born to the craft.
In fact, she was. But not in the way one might imagine. Strombergs wasn’t a formal student of dance, music or acting, but with a mother who was a classical dancer and choreographer and a father who was a music professor, vocal coach, and conductor of the Stratford Festival Theatre Orchestra for 11 years, she was definitely surrounded by the arts.
Moving to Leaside from Stratford, Strombergs discovered what she describes as a high school which was very “sports heavy.” With friends who were active in sports, she joined right along and participated in multiple teams.
It wasn’t until she enrolled at New College at the University of Toronto that she first joined a drama society. From there her career took off.
Strombergs was involved in TV and film until 1986 when she directed her first play, an all-female production of Julius Caesar.
Since then, she has directed everything from one-person shows to dramas, comedies, large cast musicals, and Shakespeare. She has worked in almost all the major centres in Canada, including Toronto, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Fredericton, Whitehorse, and points in between.
Sir John A: Acts of a Gentrified Ojibway Rebellion is not her first experience in Indigenous-themed theatre. She has worked closely with Indigenous playwrights and actors, and her production of Sixty Below for Native Earth Performing Arts in 1997 earned her a Dora nomination for outstanding direction.
Strombergs also has a special connection with Mirvish Productions, having directed two shows in their theatres and presented multiple pre-play talks.
As a true theatre enthusiast, she has worked to ensure theatre’s future by teaching and workshopping with new and emerging actors.
She also works hard to ensure that current audiences connect with shows, noting that “you want to entertain, educate, surprise and be relevant, always finding a new way to tell a story.”
After almost 40 years as a director, Strombergs’ passion for directing has never waned. “It’s the only thing I want to do!”
Sir John A: Acts of a Gentrified Ojibway Rebellion runs until August 3rd at the Blyth Festival.
