So, you wanna be in the movies?!

Now’s your chance with a huge piece of Winnipeg history attached!

Thanks to CBC Manitoba for the following:

Almost a century after the Winnipeg General Strike, hundreds of Winnipeggers are again being asked to hit the streets and unite behind a cause.

Danny Schur, the writer and composer of Strike! The Musical, is making a public appeal for extras to join him as he brings his stage creation to the big screen. 

Strike! tells the story of an immigrant couple battling injustice against the backdrop of the most famous strike in Canadian history. For six weeks in 1919, Winnipeg was virtually shut down by a city-wide strike that saw almost 30,000 workers leave their jobs.

“Representing the Winnipeg General Strike on film is a tough thing with a budget six times what we have,” said Schur. “That’s why volunteer extras are important.”

Schur is hoping to entice 300 unpaid extras to come out on Thursday, Aug. 23, for what he said will an “arduous 12-hour day” of shooting. Extras will be fed, but he admits the experience will require a bit of sacrifice on the part of those who sign up.

“We’re just asking an awful, awful lot, but the story is in deference, in honour, in tribute to those whose legacy we are honouring in the film,” he said.

Extras are asked to wear their own costumes, although they don’t have to be historically accurate. Schur suggests suits and hats for men and blouses, long skirts and sun hats for women. 

“These are extras that are going to be … not right in the camera, but a little ways away, so it’s more about the silhouette than the perfection.”

People interested in becoming extras are asked to send an email to strikeextras@gmail.com. With only two weeks to go, Schur says he’s about a third of the way to his goal of 300.

Shooting on Strike! is scheduled to wrap up on Sept. 16. Schur said he hopes to have it ready in time for a theatrical release in 2019, the 100th anniversary of the strike.

(Photo credit: Archives of Manitoba/Foote Collection)