WINNIPEG — For the first time since it opened its doors in 1987, the Winnipeg Jewish Theatre (WJT) has decided to hold performances on Friday evenings and on Saturday afternoons.

For the last 20 years, rather than have performances scheduled on the Sabbath, the WJT performed on Wednesday evenings and on Sunday afternoons and evenings at the Berney Theatre, on the Asper Jewish Community Campus.

Michael Nathanson, artistic producer of the WJT, said tickets for shows on the Sabbath will have to be pre-purchased, as “we will definitely not be having cash exchanges” on Shabbat.

The mandate of the WJT, which up until 2006 was the only professional Jewish theatre in Canada, is to present theatre that reflects the Jewish experience of the past, present and future. The WJT also encourages the creation of new Canadian plays of Jewish interest and promotes better understanding of the Jewish community in the community at large.

Nathanson said the decision to hold performances on Shabbat “was economically driven.”

He added: “It was not a decision that we reached lightly… We approached this with great trepidation… There was a lot of discussion back and forth [at the board level]. It was not a unanimous decision. But it was one that we felt was worth exploring. We have made a decision to try this for a year and see if it is something we want to continue. It is not a decision made in perpetuity.”

The WJT is one of 14 members of the Association for Jewish Theatre in North America. Nathanson said that “four of the 14 members are holding performances on Shabbat. The Harold Green Jewish Theatre in Toronto [founded in 2006] holds Friday-night performances, and they are dealing with a Jewish population that is much larger than the one in Winnipeg. The Arizona Jewish Theatre and the West Coast Jewish Theatre in California also hold performances on the Sabbath.”

As well, Nathanson said that “the gym at the Rady Centre at the Asper Campus, which is the building where the theatre performances take place, is open on Friday evening until 8 p.m., and also opens on Saturdays at noon. The Rady Centre is a precedent for being open on the Sabbath. The centre [and the WJT] are in similar situations, in that both Jews and non-Jews attend.”

Nathanson said that the weekend performances “provide double the revenue” as weekday performances… Over the course of one season, that is thousands of dollars. We are a small theatre, and we have to be concerned with the long-term [financial health ] of the theatre.”

In 2006, the WJT, which was on the verge of closing for lack of finances, had a campaign to “Save the Theatre.”

“We needed 50,00 dollars to keep our doors open,” Nathanson said, adding that the money was raised and “we do not want to go back to that situation.”

The pamphlet that subscribers and ticket purchasers for the 2008-2009 season of receive, which is also posted on the theatre’s website, explains the Shabbat decision as follows: “We recognize that there are those who feel that a Jewish theatre should not operate on a Friday night. We understand and respect that viewpoint. The reality, however, is that weekend performances are extremely popular with theatregoers. Our belief is that, in order for WJT to grow as a theatre, we need to experiment by making this option available to those who wish to partake.”

Nathanson said that “the WJT relies on grants, donations, and sponsorships” and is not a beneficiary agency of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg.

The WJT Endowment Trust, which was established in 1991, is an important source of revenue and currently generates $30,150 each year toward the company’s annual operating costs, he said.

“Ticket revenues make up 22 to 23 per cent of our operating revenues,” Nathanson said, adding that patrons of the theatre are both Jewish and non-Jewish.

“Ultimately we are an arts organization, not a religious organization. Our goal is to present great theatre.”