I am thrilled to share The Ballad of George Boivin (Western Gold Theatre) has been nominated for three 21/22 Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards – Outstanding Direction, Outstanding Set Design (Glenn Macdonald) and Outstanding Video Design (Joel Grinke).
Theatre is by it’s nature an ensemble based art form and no individual award nomination happens without the work of a great many people. A tremendous thank you to Tanja Dixon-Warren and Western Gold Theatre who supported the project from translation to stage, francophone playwright Martin Bellemare who allowed us to bring his work to English language, the entire Ballad translation, dramaturgy, production and creative teams, and – of course – the wonderful actors Jay Brazeau and John Innes who both returned to the stage for this project.
Congratulations to all the Jessie Richardson Award nominees!
WESTERN GOLD THEATRE
THE BALLAD OF GEORGES BOIVIN
Written by Martin Bellemare
Translated by Jack Paterson with Johanna Nutter
Directed by Jack Paterson
FEATURING
Jay Brazeau and John Innes alternating as Georges Boivin in repertory
November 10 – 28, 2021
Evenings: Wed – Sat @ 7:30 pm
Matinees (from Nov. 14): Wed, Thu, Sat, Sun @ 2:00 pm
PAL STUDIO THEATRE – 581 CARDERO STREET, VANCOUVER
MORE INFO
www.westerngoldtheatre.org
The Ballad of Georges Boivin interpreted by John Innes
The Ballad of Georges Boivin
interpreted by Jay Brazeau
“…explores with great insight thematic territory I’ve never seen covered before…the execution is poetic and the insight genuine…his (John Innes) skill is a joy… a wonderful combination of ease and thoroughness in his technique…he inhabits every word…moments of magic and even transcendence…an intimate — and rewarding — conversation about love.” – Colin Thomas, colinthomas.ca
“…insightful, thoughtful and mind-expanding…Brazeau gives a riveting performance, showing that emotions are still alive – and even volatile – even in your seventies… This is 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
“…a heart-warming play that shakes off the myth often associated with old age.” – Reviewvancouver.com
At 77, Georges Boivin decides to “give the dice a roll.” Georges just lost his wife, the “centre of his universe.” He’s terrified “he no longer exists for anyone.” But there is life after 70, and it must continue even after great loss. With his three friends, all of them the same age, he sets out on a road trip from Québec to Vancouver in search of his first love whom he hasn’t seen in 50 years.
CREATIVE & PRODUCTION TEAM
Assistant Stage Manager: Jessica Adamson | Assistant Lighting Designer: Chengyan Boon | Sound Designer: Stephen Bulat | Video & Video Systems Design: Joel Grinke | Costume Designer: Alaia Hamer | Senior’s Access Consultant: Dr. Julia Henderson | Artistic Director: Tanja Dixon-Warren | Set Designer: Glenn Macdonald | Assistant Director: Hannah Siden | Video & Video Systems Assistant: Vanka Chaitra Salim | Stage Manager: Ingrid Turk | Access And Surtitle Coordinator: Anika Vervecken | Lighting Designer: John Webber
ARTIST BIOS
Read bios of all the talented artists involved in The Ballad of Georges Boivin here (PDF)
Gallery
ACCESS, INTERGENERATIONAL & CROSS CULTURAL DIALOGUES
It is no secret that elder artists face barriers to partcipating in the live performing arts due to our professional structures and the natural process of ageing. We have attempted in this project to fuse all elements from scheduling, to rehearsal and design processes, to live performance with access. What has been particularly exciting is how the individual needs, priorities, and theatrical interests of each actor have come to play, creating two district pieces unique to each artist.
Francophone Canadian playwrighting is a uniquely Canadian form and is on the forefront of international practices. Born from different circumstances and cultural needs, the francophone theatre often places metaphor and experience over dramatic arc and the “well-made play”. Cross Cultural collaboration is inherent to bringing this work to English language translation.
Creating access for senior artists
One of the great joys of this project was over the pandemic, as we created a Zoom space bringing artists together across cultural, lingual, and physical distances in an intergenerational conversation – with playwright Martin Bellemare and translation collaborator Johanna Nutter joining us from Montreal.
I have had the privilege over the last few months of working with 2 remarkable theatre artists, a wonderfully creative design team, highly supportive producing body in a pan-Canadian conversation. A tremendous thank you to Western Gold Theatre and the Georges Boivin team.