Shield Maiden at WIN Awards Nanaimo was a success! Ingrid came out in full force to address a 630 seat crowd at the Nanaimo Convention Centre on February 7th. The gala was a spectacular success and was captured on film by Rogers Television.
Event organizer Blaise Hunter asked playwright/performer Melanie Teichroeb to participate and reflect warrior spirit back to the city’s collection of women leaders. In character as Ingrid Larsdottir, a 10th century Viking warrior, Melanie rallied the troops in attendance. She stayed around afterwards for photo ops and heard women reflect back how inspired they were. The men that came up to Teichroeb expressed gratitude for the inspirational message that they saw impact their female partners.
No matter what venue, size of stage, make up of audience, the message of Melanie Teichroeb’s solo show, Shield Maiden, lands loudly and proudly. Women are fighters. Women must continue to fight for equity, visibility and for the rights of marginalized people. Also, Ingrid honoured where we all are on our estrogen journey. It was a powerful moment.
A Port Theatre Discovery Series Presentation ~ Shield Maiden
photo credit: Jeanette Martin
Gabriolan Melanie Teichroeb’s, Shield Maiden, has been staged in Austin, Texas and in the theatre district off-Broadway in New York City and is now Port Theatre presents Shield Maiden in its Discovery Series.
The production is a 10th century version of a Ted Talk on life as a Viking woman warrior. It’s funny, sexy, fierce and unapologetic. Written and performed by Teichroeb,
Shield Maiden shows the audience that they have more in common with medieval era warrior, Ingrid Larsdöttir, than they could imagine.
The solo show shines a light on contemporary issues like inequality and sexism using humour and vulnerability. “The #MeTooMovement sparked conversation and change around these issues,” Melanie explains. “People are still working tirelessly to challenge the status quo. The visual impact of a confident woman warrior on stage resonates with audiences. Ingrid is flawed, but very powerful and relatable.”
Despite the pandemic shutdown of live performances, Shield Maiden hit the stages across BC this summer stronger than ever. Melanie said, “This show is loads of fun to perform and to receive the positive feedback that the message is meaningful to women and men alike is such an honour.”
“Shield Maiden by Melanie Teichroeb is a fierce and funny mash-up of Vikings and a Tony Robbins workshop, and was truly one of the highlights this year of our 26th annual fringe festival, FronteraFest. Not only is it a great script, but Melanie’s performance was just incredible. It was no surprise that it was the best-selling long fringe show of the festival this year. Can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.” – Ken Webster, Artistic Director, Hyde Park Theatre Austin, Texas
PORT THEATRE PRESENTS SHIELD MAIDEN
Adults $20 | Members $18 | Students $15 (with valid student ID)
TICKETS ON SALE 11am October 28th
Please note: This show is for mature audiences and contains language and subject matter that might be offensive to some.
Do you have the courage to be women warriors? Courage comes easily to some and harder to others. Your level of courage can also fluctuate depending on the time of your life. Are you pushing to finish university and be the first woman in your family to do so? Do you have young children that require your constant attention and energy? Have you found yourself, later in life, needing a new creative outlet but face doubt and scepticism from your family or community?
Each of these examples and more compose the fluid and complicated question of what it means to be a woman warrior. I believe we all have the capacity for courage. In my experience, courage comes from deep inner work and honesty. Courage comes from making mistakes and analyzing them until a new answer arises. Even more, courage arrives when we feel like we have nothing left to give yet you continue. It’s also deeply courageous to know when to stop, when to walk away from something that no longer serves you.
I wrote my play because I needed to see and feel what courage looks like in a woman. I needed to see what lies beneath the rage, the frustration, the fear, the hopelessness, the pain. Beneath every #MeToo confession was an ocean of courage. Voices came together to cry out “enough!” but words on pages or on computer screens don’t always carry the real power you sometimes need to see. I needed to see an embodiment of that collective courage. I needed to ride that wave of rage and shout “enough!” with my own, tired, tattered voice. I needed to see courage.
Shield Maiden play explores why you need courage to be women warriors.
This fiery and provocative one woman show does not spell out the answers to you in a convenient point form. Your assumptions are challenged. You are asked to think about yourself and your own life. Where do you demonstrate courage? When were you without courage and where is courage required now? Who was there for YOU when you needed help finding your own source of courage? How can you be solid and offer that back now? How fearless can you be?
I’m writing from a raw place today. This is a vulnerable and worn out place. A midwinter place. My courage is still there just not big and showy. It’s quiet and dark and deep. I fight to get closer to the truth of who I am as a mother, partner, friend, artist, woman, human. I have people who support me with their own courage.. They are invaluable and fearless. They are warriors. No stranger to their own fears, struggles, questions. They stand quietly beside me, witnesses, as I emerge bloodied but victorious on the other side. They are truth and compassion and joy embodied for me to remember.
I know where we find the courage to be women warriors. We find it in each other.