Behind the Play Theatre New Brunswick

Jenny dedicated more than 30 years of her life to the Canadian theatre community, working with several organizations including Mulgrave Road Theatre, the Blyth Festival, the Banff Playwrights Colony, Rising Tide Theatre, Live Bait Theatre, Neptune Theatre, and with us, here at TNB. A fierce advocate for new script development, Jenny is known to many through her work with Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre. But she also did comedy, she acted, she wrote, she directed, and through it all she touched the lives and careers of countless theatre artists working today. 



Jenny last joined us on stage for our 2019 production of It’s A Wonderful Life – A Live Radio Play acting alongside our friends Kirsten Alter, Beau Dixon, Ryan G. Hinds, and Wally MacKinnon. Sadly, she passed away on June 10, 2021.



In 2017, we conducted an interview with Jenny for the Theatre New Brunswick archives. We met for lunch at the home of our dear friend and constant supporter Ilkay Silk on a cold fall morning. (If you listen closely you can hear the clanking of dishes and the sounds of food being served and enjoyed!) 



Divided into eight short episodes, this series will feature highlights from that conversation touching on Jenny’s time with Theatre New Brunswick and Mulgrave Road Theatre, the early days of The Comedy Asylum, touring the province with TNB, and several other fun and interesting tales. 



Our hope with this series is that you walk away with a greater understanding of this Canadian theatre giant and the many ways she contributed to the world we work within today. 



Jenny Munday (1953-2021)



If you enjoyed this episode, please consider making a donation or becoming a regular contributor to Theatre New Brunswick: https://bit.ly/3Ionj2r

This episode of Behind the Play features TNB Outreach Coordinator and playwright Jena McLean in conversation and Mike Ross and Sarah Wilson, co-creators of Rose - A New Musical, which will be on stage at the Fredericton Playhouse April 21-22.



This production is one of two Senior Student productions running next week at the Fredericton Playhouse. Details below:



The Little Prince | April 18-19 | 7:30 p.m. (featuring students from the TNB Theatre School's Senior Acting program).

Rose - A New Musical | April 21-22 | 7:30 p.m. (featuring students from the TNB Theatre School's Senior Musical Theatre program).



Tickets for both performances are available through the Fredericton Playhouse box office or by visiting TNB.NB.CA

This episode of Behind the Play features a conversation between TNB Outreach Coordinator and playwright Jena McLean and playwright Jivesh Parasram, who is currently touring his one-person play Take d Milk, Nah? to theatres in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. 

Take d Milk, Nah? is unlike anything we have presented in the past. Part comedy, part reality check, Parasram’s play tackles enormous issues involving race and culture. A humourous, skeptical take on the identity play, Take d Milk, Nah? blends personal storytelling and ritual to offer the "Hin-dos and Hin-don’ts" of Parasram's upbringing as a multi-ethnic Canadian as well as delivers a candid, funny look at race, religion and nationalism.

For the three performances of Take d Milk, Nah?, which will run at the Open Space Theatre at 55 Whiting Road, we invite you to name your price by choosing one of four different price points: $5, $15, $25, or $35. 

Full details and ticket information can be found HERE.

Take d Milk, Nah?:

April 13 | Open Space Theatre | Fredericton, NB | 7:30 p.m.

April 14 | Open Space Theatre | Fredericton, NB | 7:30 p.m.

April 15 | Open Space Theatre | Fredericton, NB | 2:00 p.m.

The second of a two-part conversation between TNB Outreach Coordinator and playwright Jena McLean and playwright Don Hannah.  This time around Don and Jena get into the weeds of playwriting and look at how the characters in Resident Aliens interconnect, how time is used as a tool for storytelling, and how this play differs from everything else Don has done. 

Resident Aliens makes its world premiere at TNB in March. Full details and ticket information can be found HERE.

Resident Aliens (world premiere):

March 22-26 | Fredericton, NB | Open Space Theatre

March 28 | Campbellton, NB | Theatre Restigouche

March 29-30 | Moncton, NB | Empress Theatre

March 31 | St. Andrews, NB | W. C. O'Neill Arena Theatre

April 1 | Florenceville-Bristol, NB | Carleton North High School

April 2 | Sackville, NB | Motyer-Fancy Theatre

The first of a two-part conversation between TNB Outreach Coordinator and playwright Jena McLean and playwright Don Hannah. In their conversation, Don shares his experience growing up in Shediac in the 1950s, learning what it means to be an outsider, and learning about Vivian Larsen and her adventures.  This conversation was edited for length and will be continued in the next episode. We hope you'll join us. 

Resident Aliens makes its world premiere at TNB in March. Full details and ticket information can be found HERE.

Resident Aliens (world premiere):

March 22-26 | Fredericton, NB | Open Space Theatre

March 28 | Campbellton, NB | Theatre Restigouche

March 29-30 | Moncton, NB | Empress Theatre

March 31 | St. Andrews, NB | W. C. O'Neill Arena Theatre

April 1 | Florenceville-Bristol, NB | Carleton North High School

April 2 | Sackville, NB | Motyer-Fancy Theatre

On July 24, 1959, a 50-something widow from Shediac set off on the journey of a lifetime. Her mission: to meet Walt Disney and share with him a secret she believed would somehow pay for her daughter’s university education. Her means: a wagon pulled by a retired milk horse named Bob.

The story of Vivian Larsen plays an important part in our upcoming world premiere production of Resident Aliens by Don Hannah. This is her story.

Resident Aliens makes its world premiere at TNB in March. Full details and ticket information can be found HERE.

Resident Aliens (world premiere):

March 22-26 | Fredericton, NB | Open Space Theatre

March 28 | Campbellton, NB | Theatre Restigouche

March 29-30 | Moncton, NB | Empress Theatre

March 31 | St. Andrews, NB | W. C. O'Neill Arena Theatre

April 1 | Florenceville-Bristol, NB | Carleton North High School

April 2 | Sackville, NB | Motyer-Fancy Theatre