
Heart-stopping drama
Menno Kehler seemed invincible, as evidenced by the title of his daughter Leigh-Anne's latest production at the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival.
'You know what the first line is? 'My father's heart exploded in the surgeon's hands,'' the playwright- performer says.
MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS
Leigh-Anne Kehler's latest show is a deeply personal story about medical scares and close conversations with death.
That's only one harrowing medical episode recounted by Kehler in The Man Who Couldn't Die, a solo performance that marks the Neubergthal-raised artist's first original fringe play since 2015.
A veteran of 17 festivals whose previous shows include the well-received Fire Women, Die Shakespeare Die and the FemMennonite series, Kehler says the story of her father's artful, stubborn evasion of death, which foretold her own medical challenges, simply wouldn't leave her alone.
The new performance, which runs to July 27 at Venue 9 (Planetarium Auditorium), originated in 2013, when the artistic director of a storytelling festival in Toronto asked Kehler if she had anything she could perform in hospitals centred on the topic of death, dying and the emerging concept of MAID (medical assistance in dying).
The result was a show, performed with and for medical practitioners, called The Final Hour. An invitation to perform at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa soon followed, as did a personal experience that added new layers to what already felt like a finished story inspired by her father's time in palliative care.
'I had the first symptoms of what would eventually (be diagnosed) as my father's illness,' she says about a rare brainstem disorder that can lead to bouts of acute head pain, seizures and even paralysis.
Doubled vision, dizziness and general unsteadiness gave way to such severe pain that Kehler nearly cancelled her Ottawa show.
MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS
Winnipeg storyteller and playwright Leigh-Anne Kehler returnst to the Fringe Festival with The Man Who Couldn't Die, which blends bittersweet comedy with painful observations on loss and memory.
'After that performance, one of the matriarchs of our storytelling community told me the show was beautiful to watch and listen to, but that something was missing, and that she knew I was going to find it, and the thing that was missing was that I had to go through years and years of pain and struggle,' Kehler says.
'I won't get into it much right now, but I died and I chose to fight my way back to this body.'
The Man Who Couldn't Die is for Kehler 'a culmination of 12 years of lived experience.'
'It's the story that won't leave me alone because I live it every day, but I also want to share it very deeply.'
Weekly
A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene.
Despite the heaviness of the stories recounted, Kehler says the show is flecked with humour and warm memories of her upbringing, drinking cherry Coke through a licorice straw and listening to her father's inappropriate jokes and epic stories as recounted to a captive audience of rural Manitoban coffeeshop hoppers.
'My dad was usually the MC, always a storyteller. At an event celebrating the centennial of our village, he told a very funny story about his teacher at the one-bedroom schoolhouse and he didn't know she was in the audience, in her 90s. After he was done, she slowly made her way up to the stage with a stick in her hand and said, 'Menno, I should have done this to you years ago,' and she whacked his butt,' Kehler says.
MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS
Leigh-Anne Kehler's latest show is a deeply personal story about medical scares and close conversations with death.
'My dad just went for it. He was such a great comedian.'
The Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival runs to Sunday. Tickets and information available at winnipegfringe.com.
ben.waldman@freepress.mb.ca
If you value coverage of Manitoba's arts scene, help us do more.
Your contribution of $10, $25 or more will allow the Free Press to deepen our reporting on theatre, dance, music and galleries while also ensuring the broadest possible audience can access our arts journalism.
BECOME AN ARTS JOURNALISM SUPPORTER
Click here to learn more about the project.
Ben WaldmanReporter
Ben Waldman is a National Newspaper Award-nominated reporter on the Arts & Life desk at the Free Press. Born and raised in Winnipeg, Ben completed three internships with the Free Press while earning his degree at Ryerson University's (now Toronto Metropolitan University's) School of Journalism before joining the newsroom full-time in 2019. Read more about Ben.
Every piece of reporting Ben produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Winnipeg Free Press
16 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg singer-guitarist gets his own signature Fender Stratocaster
For nearly 20 years as a professional musician, Ariel Posen has been honing his unmistakable signature sound. Now, the Winnipeg-raised guitar hero has his own signature guitar, too. Earlier this month, Posen and the manufacturing giant Fender released the Limited Edition Ariel Posen Stratocaster, an instrument customized to the specifications of the prolific singer-guitarist, who has released two albums — Mile End III and a self-titled duo album with session drummer Ash Soan — so far in 2025. 'It was kind of like the sky's the limit; whatever you want, we can do,' says Posen of the collaboration with Fender and the company's pickup designer Tim Shaw, who worked with Posen for nearly three years to get the finished product — which combines his favourite features of Jazzmaster and Strat models — just right. SUPPLIED Ariel Posen plays the custom Fender Limited Edition Stratocaster designed for him. 'It's a fairly simple instrument, but every little detail I wanted was never an issue. Everyone has their tool of choice in whatever field they're in, and for me specifically, this is the style of guitar I gravitate to.' Posen, whose career kickstarted with local projects such as the New Lightweights, Sierra Noble and the Bros. Landreth, has lived in Montreal for five years while touring at a consistent clip. Much of the work with Fender was done remotely, but the guitarist had the chance to visit the company's Corona, Calif., headquarters to prepare video content for the instrument's release. Prior to last week's limited launch of 100 signature models, finished with a faded Lake Placid blue lacquer and featuring custom soapbar pickups, Posen had a prototype model for about a year, which he says gave him the chance to get comfortable with the instrument that puts him in rarefied company. Other guitarists to receive a limited-edition Fender model include country star Brad Paisley, the Clash's Joe Strummer, Beatle George Harrison, guitar virtuoso Eric Johnson, '60s icon Jimi Hendrix, Mike McCready of Pearl Jam and John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. 'It's hard for me to register that this is actually a real thing. It's so funny to find my name there. I'm just incredibly beyond grateful for the opportunity, whether my name belongs on that list or not,' says Posen, 37, whose parents Kinsey Posen and Shayla Fink are members of legendary klezmer band Finjan. 'The first guitar I ever got was a $30 acoustic that my parents bought for me, maybe from a garage sale.' Earlier this summer, Posen also partnered with Stringjoy to introduce a signature, nickel-wound string set, which, according to Premier Guitar, is ideal for B standard, open C and other lower tunings. On Dec. 12, Posen will bring his signature sound, strings and guitar to Winnipeg's Park Theatre for the closing show of his 24-date Future Present Tense tour. Tickets for the all-ages show go on sale today at Ben WaldmanReporter Ben Waldman is a National Newspaper Award-nominated reporter on the Arts & Life desk at the Free Press. Born and raised in Winnipeg, Ben completed three internships with the Free Press while earning his degree at Ryerson University's (now Toronto Metropolitan University's) School of Journalism before joining the newsroom full-time in 2019. Read more about Ben. Every piece of reporting Ben produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.


Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Free Press Head Start for July 24, 2025
A mix of sun and cloud, with a few showers this morning and a 30 per cent chance of showers late this afternoon. Risk of a thunderstorm late this afternoon. Hazy. High 25 C. Humidex 28. UV index 7 or high. What's happening today Raven's End Books (1859 Portage Ave.) hosts The Spec-Fic Midsummer Spectacular from 6 to 8:30 p.m. and will feature a discussion on horror and speculative fiction by Susie Moloney ( A Dry Spell , Things Withered ), S.M. Beiko ( Scion of the Fox , the Brindlewatch Quartet series), Free Press reviewer Keith Cadieux ( Donner Parties and Other Anti-Social Gatherings ) and Ottawa's James K. Moran ( Fear Itself ). Moloney will also serve as host; there's no charge to attend. Susie Moloney (Ruth Bonneville / Free Press files) Today's must-read Manitoba optometrists have been refusing to handle urgent cases out of frustration with the provincial government, which hasn't signed a deal with them in years. Since March, the optometrists have referred all non-routine eye care cases, as well as patients who had surgery within the past three weeks, to the Misericordia Eye Clinic. They've been directed to do so by the Manitoba Association of Optometrists. The result is that Manitobans are taking the brunt of the job action because the clinic has become jam-packed with patients, forcing the clinic to scramble and enlist the help of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority to find more staff. Kevin Rollason has the story. Since March, Manitoba optometrists have been refusing to handle all non-routine eye care cases out of frustration with the provincial government, which hasn't signed a deal with them in years. (Pat McGrath / Free Press files) On the bright side Mohamed Al Yaser (left), Mohamed Gashoot (centre) and Nathaniel Gomes work to dissect a heart as part of the Biomedical Youth Program Summer Camp at the University of Manitoba Bannatyne Campus Wednesday. Approximately 100 students from Grades 6 to 12 — guided by U of M student volunteers — participated at no cost. (Mike Deal / Free Press) On this date On July 24, 1963: The Winnipeg Free Press reported in Moscow an East-West treaty outlawing the testing of nuclear weapons above ground was reported completed and would likely be initialed the next day. An Ontario legislative committee probing the cost of consumer credit found some mortgage rates as high as 21 per cent and some lending rates as high as 87 per cent. Read the rest of this day's paper here. Search our archives for more here. Today's front page Get the full story: Read today's e-edition of the Free Press .


Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Visiting Vimy: A personal reflection on patriotism
Free Press theatre reviewers spent last week and weekend hopping from venue to venue to get the skinny on all 140-plus productions at this year's Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival, which runs to July 27. We've posted reviews of every play. Find an index of our reviews here, sortable by title and by star review — or if you prefer a bit of serendipity in your review perusal, scroll through 15 pages of reviews in our fringe section (plus profiles, previews and daily happenings). COMING UP The intricacies of Indian status, as defined by Ottawa, can be difficult to navigate. However, what is clear is access to treaty rights for many future First Nations children is threatened by a section of federal legislation called 'second-generation cut-off.' Investigative reporter Marsha McLeod explores efforts to repeal the policy, which has been described as discriminatory and assimilationist. While forest fires rage across Western Canada, a group of experts huddle in a small office in Winnipeg keeping tabs on everything. Their work is a complicated, highly co-ordinated administrative dance involving partners from around the world. Reporter Nicole Buffie goes behind the scenes at the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre as Manitoba grapples with one of its worst wildfire seasons on record. Since the mid-2000s, entertainer José 'Pepê' Cortes has held down a Las Vegas-style residency at the Pony Corral Restaurant & Bar three nights a week, entertaining riverside patio diners with toe-tapping favourites. Feature writer David Sanderson profiles the longtime fixture of Winnipeg's musical scene. Jose 'Pepe' Cortes on the patio at the Pony Corral on Pembina Highway, where he performs summer evenings. (Brook Jones / Free Press) In sports, the second half of the American Association of Professional Baseball league picks up Thursday after the all-star break, with the Winnipeg Goldeyes hosting a season-long seven-game homestand at Blue Cross Park. Zoe Pierce catches up with the Fish Thursday in the four-game series opener against the Chicago Dogs, teeing up the team's hunt for a place in the post-season. And the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are on the road Saturday in a Grey Cup rematch against the Toronto Argonauts. Joshua Frey-Sam brings the action from the sidelines and the storylines to follow as the Blue and Gold try to get back on a winning streak in Week 8. Rita Menzies, who died in June at age 82, led one of the most august careers in Manitoba's arts sector. She was Manitoba Chamber Orchestra's most formative general manager (a position she held for 25 years), the 'saviour' of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, where she solved a $3-million deficit in one year as its interim leader, and a key leader of a number of other arts organization. Conrad Sweatman talks to her friends, family and peers for this week's Passages profile. ONE GREAT PHOTO A work crew installs scaffolding for the Gimli International Film Festival screen at the beach on Lake Winnipeg Tuesday. The festival, celebrating its 25th anniversary, began today and ends Sunday. See our story. (Don Gislason photo)