Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - November 13, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba C2 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COMTHURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2025 ARTS ● LIFE I ENTERTAINMENT what’s up FREE PRESS STAFF RECOMMENDS THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK TOP 4 PICKS REBECCA CABAGE / INVISION HEATHER OGG PHOTOGRAPHY Alan Doyle “It was interesting to look at that and look into how that permeates within hockey culture,” Morneau says. Those masculine types emerge within team names themselves. Many sports teams at all levels, across all sports use monikers that evoke violence and con- quering — kings, pirates, vikings, raiders, war- riors, etc. The QNHL is a comment on that, too. Growing up on the Rock, Morneau was steeped in hockey cul- ture, even if they weren’t on the ice. “My parents asked me if I wanted to play hockey and for some reason, I said no,” Morneau recalls, “even though later on as a kid, I kind of wished I did, because I was a pretty good goalie. I played a lot of road hockey.” But Morneau’s brother and father both played ice hockey. One of Morneau’s uncles is George Faulkner, the first Newfoundlander to be drafted to a profes- sional hockey league. “Hockey culture permeates within my family, so there’s some aspects of that I could recognize. Like, OK, clearly kids are learning these words and they’re learning them from their coaches and from Coach’s Corner. “And those words get used, jokingly, with their friends, but then they end up being used in the locker rooms in schools, or just in classes in schools, to bully people. That’s sort of how using these words came about within this project.” The craft of rug-hooking is deeply woven into Newfoundland and Labrador’s heritage and visual identity. Morneau employed traditional techniques using materials such as pantyhose worn by drag per- formers, a nod to the silk stockings that would have been used by the mat-hooking women of the Grenfell Mission in the late 19th century. The exhibition also includes crocheted goalie masks, fashioned to look like doilies, a reference to how face protection was ridiculed when it was first introduced in the game — you may recall this particular performance of hegemonic masculinity also played out during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic — as well as hockey cards featuring men, women and gender-nonconforming players. Morneau’s hockey-loving family has been hugely supportive of the project, as has the Canadian art scene. Queer Newfoundland Hockey League has been exhibited in galleries all over the country. That the project has had such a warm response is an honour, Morneau says, especially since it hasn’t been without sacrifice. It’s not just hockey players who can get benched by injuries; as a result of mak- ing the jerseys, Morneau has developed hand and shoulder issues. “I’ve put my body into this — I’m still dealing with chronic pain from this project. I had to essentially give up rug-hooking and I had to give up crochet because of the work I did on it. “I’m so thankful, because if this just went down the drain and only showed once, I think being in so much pain would be much harder on me.” Queer Newfoundland Hockey League is on view until Jan. 28, 2026. jen.zoratti@freepress.mb.ca ANNIE FRANCE NOËL PHOTO. Lucas Morneau Neilfest Times Change(d), 234 Main St. Friday, 9:30 p.m.; Saturday, 3 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Tickets: $23 at eventbrite.ca Yes, Uncle Neil turned 80 on Wednesday, but Neilfest — the annual flagship birthday celebration held in his honour at Winni- peg’s downtown honkytonk — is turning 20 this weekend. To mark the occasion, Times Change(d) proprietor John Scoles has planned three separate shindigs. On Friday night, the Honeysliders and Jaxon Haldane revisit Young’s 1974 record Tonight’s the Night, with an accompanying electric retrospective. On Saturday after- noon, the Stanley County Cutups reimagine Young’s sound in a set titled Neil Done Bluegrass, with the Telepathic Butterflies and Sean Buchanan playing a set of their favourites as Young Neil. That group returns Saturday night, as do the Honeys- liders, who will take on Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, Young’s 1969 album with Crazy Horse. Expect loads of special guests at the High and Lonesome Club to celebrate Young, who spent five pivotal years living and playing in Winnipeg from 1960 to 1965 before heading southwest to co-found Buffalo Springfield in 1966. As he enters his 80s, Young is still rock- ing, wrapping up a 30-date world tour with his backing band the Chrome Hearts in September. — Ben Waldman An afternoon with Alan Doyle McNally Robinson Booksellers, Grant Park, 1120 Grant Ave. Saturday, 2 p.m. Free admission The pride of Petty Harbour, N.L., would like to share what makes his home province great. Best known as the former frontman for Celtic folk-rock outfit Great Big Sea, Alan Doyle spent months travelling vast expanses of Newfoundland and Labrador, experiencing the beauty of its people and places. From an- cient fishing villages to pristine parks to UNESCO World Heritage sites, Doyle chronicles his travels in his new book The Smiling Land: All Around the Circle in My Newfoundland and Labrador, also weaving in stories from his forma- tive years. Doyle will talk all things the Rock at McNally Robinson Book- sellers’ Grant Park location on Sat- urday afternoon, with the launch of The Smiling Land kicking off at 2 p.m. He’ll be joined in conversation by Virgin Radio host (and Manito- ba tire-pumper) Ace Burpee. The event will also be streamed on McNally Robinson’s YouTube page. The Smiling Land is Doyle’s fourth book of non-fiction with a strong sense of place and deep roots in his home province, after bestsellers A Newfoundlander in Canada, Where I Belong and All Together Now. In addition to penning books, he also continues to perform solo, and will be playing Friday night at the RBC Conven- tion Centre as part of the (sold-out) Grey Cup festivities there. — Ben Sigurdson The 20th annual celebration of all things Neil Young gets three shows Friday and Saturday at Times Change(d). Winnipeg Story (Grand) Slam Royal Albert Arms, 48 Albert St. Wednesday, 7 p.m. Tickets $20 at the door or at eventbrite.ca Previous concerts have helped fund the glowing green marquee bearing Cummings’ name and a memorabilia display in the theatre’s Ticketmaster Lounge, unveiled during the artist’s 75th birthday show in 2022. Cash from tonight’s show will go toward exterior upgrades and repairs. “We always try to create something physical that becomes a permanent reminder of his commitment to the theatre,” says Kevin Donnelly, True North’s senior vice-president of venues and entertainment. “So that’s what we’re thinking with this — new doors, windows and giving a bit of new sparkle to the exterior of the building.” Cummings will also be donating some new personal artifacts to the sec- ond-floor display. “I’ve uncovered the initial scribblings for No Sugar and American Woman and These Eyes and Stand Tall,” he says, naming of some of his familiar ’70s compositions. “We’re gonna frame a lot of them and put them up in the theatre.” Audiences at next year’s Guess Who concert can expect to hear those endur- ing hits, as well as deep cuts from the band’s catalogue, Cummings says. The Takin’ It Back Tour rolls through Canada Life Centre on June 5, 2026. Tickets are available tomorrow at Tick- etmaster. eva.wasney@winnipegfreepress.com QUEER ● FROM C1 BURTON ● FROM C1 JOJO PRODUCTIONS Burton Cummings, 77, performs to a sold-out Burton Cummings Theatre tonight. Everyone knows the goal of comedy open mics: earn as many laughs as you can. While it also shines a light on the city’s funnier storytellers, the Winnipeg Story Slams have a broader focus. The bitter- sweet, the strange, the (tragi) comic — all types of stories are welcome. “It’s friendly competition be- cause how do you pit someone’s death story against someone’s drinking-of-raw-chicken-juice story?” event organizer Nicole Dube told the Free Press earli- er this year. “So, the scores are always friendly and super high, but there’s something to be said for someone who really takes time to craft a five-minute story.” The Grand Slam marks the end of Winnipeg Story Slam’s first full season, bringing together 10 past slam winners for a “championship show- down.” Each storyteller gets 10 minutes, rather than the usual five, while a new group of judges awards cash prizes for winners. — Conrad Sweatman SUPPLIED Nicole Dube is the organizer of the Winnipeg Story Slam. Practising presence with art and music West End Cultural Centre, 586 Ellice Ave. Friday, 8 to 11 p.m. Tickets $20-$25 at wecc.ca The West End Cultural Centre is encour- aging visitors to leave their smartphones at home (or in their pockets) tomorrow night during the venue’s first Digital Detox event. This new once-per-season art and mu- sic series aims to foster real-life connec- tions in an increasingly online world. Friday’s event features music by Ari- elle Beaupré, Gabriela Ocejo and Flora Luna, and a gallery of textile work from Chilean-Canadian artist Daniela Fernan- dez. The art exhibition is titled Ay, Corazon, which translates to “Ay, my heart” and is a reference to the pain of unrequited love. Fernandez’s textile hangings and mixed-media sculptures are inspired by Latin American art, melodramatic love stories and a playlist of multilingual music. “As a trilingual person, my experi- ence of love has been filtered through media in English, Spanish and French,” the artist writes. “I’ve also spent a lot of time chasing love in venues like late night cafés, bars and arts venues like the WECC.” Each of the musicians has chosen songs from Fernandez’s playlist to perform, while sharing their own love stories with the audience. Attendees are also invited to make crafts during the event to keep their hands from drifting to their devices. — Eva Wasney LEIF NORMAN Artist Daniela Fernandez’s textile work will be on display at the WECC Friday. ;