TRANSLATION
“A different language is a different vision of life.”
Federico Fellini
Translation
Francophone Canadian Theatre
in English Languague Translation
Francophone Canadian new writing is on the for front of international practice. Born of unique circumstances, the unique “Langue D’Auteur” has nothing quite like it in Western English Language theatre. The poetic, abstract or expressionistic are side by side with gritty realism and the mundane often becomes the fantastical.
WESTERN GOLD: THE BALLAD OF GEORGES BOIVIN
By Martin Bellemare | Translated by Jack Paterson with Johanna Nutter
1 hr 15 | 1 Actor
At 77, Georges Boivin decides “gives the dice a roll”. Georges just lost his wife, you see, the “centre of his universe”. But there is life after 70 and it must continue even after great loss. With his three friends, all older than he, he sets out on road trip from Québec to Vancouver, in search of his first love who he hasn’t seen in 50 years.
“..a compelling, heartfelt trip through grief and friendship…pure theatrical magic…The Ballad of Georges Boivin is beautifully written…it has so much to say about aging, friendship, and, above all, the enduring qualities of love.”
– Louis B. Hobson, Calgary Herald
“…a beautiful play, filled with hope and longing and the realization that yes, there is life and love well into our golden years!”
– EntertainmentVancouver.com
MASTER KARIM THE PARTRIDGE
By Martin Bellemare
65 Min. | Multiple Voices
Karim is working the system anyway he can to avoid deportation. A fluid man in an imperfect world who wants at all costs to avoid a return to the uncertainty he escaped from. Master Karim is a meditation on the challenges faced by refugees regardless of their origin and those who work with them.
“…a singular text, this is a fierce work on a topical subject, exile.”
– Jury of Prix SACD de la dramaturgie francophone (2018).
5 FACES OF CAMILLE BRUNELLE
By Guillaume Corbeil
UK & EU English Language Translation
1h30 | 5 Actors
Who are we? What are we? What defines identity, language, and human interaction in the era of online social networking? Five online personalities create their tastes, their knowledge, and everything what they have seen, thought, experienced or imagined in a battle to define their personalities and place in the world.
“…provocative, compelling…audacious and successful both in form and in content.” – Luc Boulanger, La Presse
Translation
Theatre for Young Audiences
The stories we encounter at an early age influence who we become,
how we navigate with the world and how we understand art.
Asteroid B612
A new adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince.
By Eric Noel
Ages 6+
1hr 15
Early one morning. An aviator lost in the desert hears a child’s voice asking him: “Please… Draw me a sheep”. These few words are enough to awaken images in the hearts of millions of people who have read or listened to their parents read aloud the famous Little Prince of Saint-Exupéry.
Francophone Canadian playwrigh Eric Noel invites a new generation of children to meet the Little Prince, Antoine, the businessman and the fox, through an unprecedented theatrical adaptation of the work of Saint-Exupéry, 75 years after its publication. .
“…a true pleasure for the eyes and the heart.”
– Alexandre Cadieux, JEU: Revue de Theatre
5 SHORT PLAYS FOR 5 & UP
By Martin Bellemare
Ages 5 and up
20-30 minutes each | Muliple Voices
The ingenuity, passion and daringness of Quebecois practice is no less in its works for youth, drawing on the contemporary professional theatre, literary and fine arts forms of the culture.
Martin Bellemare’s short plays represent this high quality in form and content.
This collection includes MYSTERIOUSE AND EXTRAORDINARY. GET THE MOSQUITO, THE SNAIL’S TAIL, WHAT DOES THE GIRAFFE SAY and CAN YOU HEAR THE SEA.
“…marvelous and relevant…will amaze both children and adults with a story on the frontiers of reality… ” – David Rofé-Sarfati, Toute la culture
KIWI
By Daniel Danis
Ages 12 and up
45 Min. | 2 Actors
Kiwi is 12 years old. Abandoned on the city streets she meets a gang of homeless youth. She’ll do anything to keep this new family – she’ll change her name, forget her past and be loyal. As the authorities clear out the streets. With her friend Lychee, she learns how to survive: to run, to fly and to dream of a better life.
Recipient of:
- The PRIX LOUISE-LAHAYE (2008)
- The Cole Foundation Award for Emerging Translators (2017)
THE NAUGHTY CHILDREN’S BEDTIME STORIES
By Étienne Lepage
For ages 10 and up
40 min. | 3 Actors
Eight stories, each like a chapters in a novel, spring from the fertile imaginations of “two little good-for-nothings” who refuse to go to bed. Making up creepy, fun-filled stories, they spook each other and explore what’s real and what’s not with their imaginations. Rising above the adult absurdities, their mischievous games reflect life’s great truths which one must learn to embrace and overcome no matter what your age.Governor General’s Literary Awards French Language Drama finalist (2014)
“I was thoroughly engrossed – what a clever, funny, edgy piece!”
– Tessa Mendel, Artistic Director of Halifax Theatre for Young People
