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When it comes to moments of upheaval in our lives, the best we can hope for is to survive the moment and process it later. For Cory Wojcik, that processing looked a little bit different than for most people: creating a theatre piece.
“This is what we do as artists: to process things, we make art,” Wojcik explained in a conversation on Morning Light.
That art is entitled Mix Tapes from My Mom, which will officially open on January 30 at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre’s Tom Hendry Warehouse Theatre. The story documents the day in Wojcik’s life where he both welcomed a new child into the world and said his final goodbye to his mother. The piece centres on mix tapes that his mother created and left behind for her son.
Wojcik first shared the piece (which he calls a “storytelling concert”) back in 2019 as part of the Winnipeg Fringe Festival, where it was received with great acclaim by audiences and critics alike.
Those reactions were cathartic for Wojcik to receive. “When you’re telling a personal story, you kind of go, ‘Does anyone care? This is so specific to my life,’” he reflects. “But then I do it, and people… they do care. They do see themselves in it, and it does transcend beyond me and onto the other people.”
“Even though it’s very specific to me, it does resonate amongst lots of people.”
Another element of Mix Tapes’ resonance is the interactions that Wojcik was able to have with the audience as a result. “When you get vulnerable with people, they will get vulnerable with you,” Wojcik explains, sharing that people have come up to him after performances to share their own stories of grief. While he says it was an overwhelming experience at first, repeating performances of the show have better equipped him for those interactions.
“I’ve had cancer survivors come up to me and thank me for doing this or someone who’s also lost their mom,” he says.
Even though the show has been adapted away from its original Fringe roots for the Tom Hendry Warehouse Theatre stage, Wojcik is still mindful of what it’s like to return to the creative space for Mix Tapes. “You are picking a scab,” he admits. “It’s still difficult because when you go to a vulnerable place, it’s not easy.” However, he counteracts that with lighter elements like the show’s music and comedy. “It’s still cathartic, but there’s more joy for it now.”
Mix Tapes from My Mom officially opens on January 30 at the Tom Hendry Warehouse Theatre in the Exchange District. Merchandise from the show will also be available for purchase with the proceeds being donated to CancerCare Manitoba. For tickets and more information about the show, visit the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre’s website.