The Ryga Arts Festival Presents
The Creatus Project & Bouche Theatre Collective
With Western Gold Theatre & Presentation House Theatre
THE BALLAD OF GEORGES BOIVIN
Written by Martin Bellemare
Translated by Jack Paterson with Johanna Nutter
Directed by Jack Paterson*
Featuring Allan Toots as Georges
More Info: www.creatus.ca
Summerland’s Ryga Arts Festival (www.rygafest.ca)
Performance:
Thursday Sept. 22 @ 7 PM
Summerland Alliance Church
14820 Victoria Rd N, Summerland, BC V0H 1Z5
Community Forum – Ageing & the Arts:
Friday Sept. 23 @ 10 AM
St. Stephen Anglican Church
9311 Prairie Valley Rd, Summerland BC V0H
At 77, Georges Boivin “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 a first love whom he hasn’t seen in 50 years. A play about love in all it’s various forms.
Followed by Community Chat About Aging in The Performing Arts
Allan Toots in The Ballad of Georges Boivin (Summerland’s Ryga Arts Festival 2024)
Photo: Ricardo Fernandez
CREATIVE & PRODUCTION TEAM
Featuring Allan Toots | Director: Jack Paterson* | Stage Manager: Andy Sandberg | Associate Director: Hannah Siden | Set Designer: Glenn Macdonald | Sound Designer: Stephen Bulat | Video & Video Systems Design: Joel Grinke & Vanka Salim | Lighting Designer: John Webber | Assistant Lighting Designer: Chengyan Boon | Company Technician: Kaeden Atkinson-Hill | Senior’s Access Consultant: Dr. Julia Henderson
Press
“…explores with great insight thematic territory I’ve never seen covered before…the execution is poetic and the insight genuine…an intimate — and rewarding — conversation about love.” – Colin Thomas, colinthomas.ca
“…insightful, thoughtful and mind-expanding…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
GALLERY
Allan Toots in The Ballad of Georges Boivin (Summerland’s Ryga Arts Festival 2024)
Photo: Ricardo Fernandez
Towards an Inclusive Theatre
It is no secret that older artists might face age-related physical and cognitive changes. However, far greater impediments to their successful participation in the arts are the social stigmas of ageism and ableism.
On this project, we explored forms and aesthetics specifically from tools to support Senior artists in performance in rural touring. By “bringing the production to the performer”, we asked “what new is created when we make access integral to creation, design, rehearsal, and presentation processes?” And by doing so – draw attention to the needs of our ageing population in an intergenerational conversation and illuminate the experience of seniors’ day to day living.
The Creatus Project “Bakes Access & Accommodation into Creation”. This is done by identifying the barriers and needs of the senior performer creatively and structurally, addressing these barriers, and then integrating the solutions into all aspects of production.
Reimaging the production to elder actor Allan Toots, we decentralised memory from product, added memory prompts developed with Al (ex. set, props, sound cues, media, etc.), and created new text and staging to meet his accommodation. This “Artist First Approach” means each show is unique the unique performer.
Production History
2024 | Festival Touring
Upintheair Theatre Presents
The Creatus Project & Bouche Theatre Collective
With Western Gold Theatre & Presentation House Theatre
THE BALLAD OF GEORGES BOIVIN
Feauring Allan Morgan as Georges Boivin
The rEvolver Festival
Saturday May 25 @ 3:30 pm & Talkback with Dr. Julia Henderson
Sunday May 26 @ 3:30 pm & Talkback with the artists
The Cultch (1895 Venables Street, Vancouver BC V5L 2H6)
More info: www.upintheairtheatre.com
CREATIVE & PRODUCTION TEAM
Featuring Allan Morgan* | Director: Jack Paterson* | Stage Manager: Andy Sandberg | Assistant Lighting Designer: Chengyan Boon | Sound Designer: Stephen Bulat | Video & Video Systems Design: Joel Grinke & Vanka Chaitra Salim | Set Designer: Glenn Macdonald | Associate Director: Hannah Siden | Lighting Designer: John Webber | Company Technician: Kaeden Atkinson-Hill | Senior’s Access Consultant: Dr. Julia Henderson
Allan Morgan in The Ballad of Georges Boivin (The Cultch 2024)
2021 | English Language Premiere
Western Gold Theatre
In association with Bouche Theatre Collective
THE BALLAD OF GEORGES BOIVIN
Feauring Jay Brazeau and John Innes alternating as Georges Boivin in repertory
November 10 – 28, 2021
PAL STUDIO THEATRE – 581 CARDERO STREET, VANCOUVER
www.westerngoldtheatre.org
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
Jay Brazeau in The Ballad of Georges Boivin (PAL Studio Theatre 2021)
2020 | Active Access Development
Western Gold Theatre
in association with Bouche Theatre Collective & The Canadian Play Thing
VIRTUAL GOLD: THE BALLAD OF GEORGES BOIVIN
Featuring Paul Beckett, Jay Brazeau, John Innes and Allan Morgan
Translation Dramaturgy by Johanna Nutter
Produced by Tanja Dixon Warren
2020 | New Translation Development
Bouche Theatre Collective & Western Gold Theatre
With Presentation House Theatre
THE BALLAD OF GEORGES BOIVIN
Featuring Jay Brazeau & John Innes
Translation Dramaturgy by Johanna Nutter
Produced by Jack Paterson & Tanja Dixon Warren
2019 | New Translation Development
BoucheWHACKED! Theatre Collective & British Equity London Branch
THE BALLAD OF GEORGES BOIVIN
Featuring Micheal Grinter and Charles Roe
Produced by Lola May and Jack Paterson
John Innes in The Ballad of Georges Boivin (PAL Studio Theatre 2021)
This translation was commissioned by Western Gold Theatre (Vancouver) and developed by Bouche Theatre Collective (Vancouver) in association with British Equity (London UK) and Western Gold Theatre. The English Language Premiere was produced by Western Gold Theatre (PAL Vancouver Theatre, 2021) featuring Jay Brazeau and John Innes as Georges. We gratefully acknowledge the support of Canada Council for the Arts.
SPECIAL THANK YOU TO:
Ingrid Turk, Kaeden Atkinson-Hill, Western Gold Theatre, Presentation House Theatre, Trista & the Ryga Arts Festival team, & Supertitles.gr
