TRILOGY OF AN EMIGRATION
Tales of the Moon | Tales of the Snow | Tales of the Sun
By Philippe Soldevila | Translated by Leanna Brodie
A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE IS A DIFFERENT VISION OF LIFE
A glimpse into
new translation
Join us online for our English language new translation development workshop series.
Discover the leading new works of francophone Canadian theatre, meet the playwrights and their translators, and play a part in the new translation process.
FREE EVENT
In association with Axis Theatre, The Canadian Play Thing,
Presentation House Theatre, & The PHT Creative Hub Co-operative
Leanna Brodie’s translation of Tales of the Moon was completed at the Glassco Translation Residency with the support of Playwrights Workshop Montréal.
Sunday, March 14, 2021 | 12 pm Pacific / 3 pm Eastern / 8 pm GMT
Tales of the Moon
By Philippe Soldevila | Translated by Leanna Brodie
Inspired & adapted from shorts stories by Pere Calders
Translated from Conte de la lune (Quebec, Canada)
“…the clear skies of hope, and poetry able to chase away the darkest clouds and the deepest suffering…a celebration of beauty.” – Le Soleil
Nothing is impossible when you believe in your dreams, you can even go to the moon. A diary in an abandoned suitcase carries us back to the 1940s, to a little Catalan village in the heart of Spain. Joan is ten years old. The war that has torn his country apart is finally over, and after an absence of five years, his father at last returns home. Joan’s wild imagination helps him to survive a father imprisoned by Franco’s fascists, the disappearance of his dog – and the fact that he’s rotten at math! Years later, his diary tells of the Spanish Moon, of lemon trees, and of long forgotten days.
Featuring Carmen Aguirre, Anthony Santiago, Micheal Scholar, JR, and Sabrina Vellani
Sunday March 21, 2021 | 12 pm Pacific / 3 pm Eastern / 8 pm GMT
Tales of the Snow
By Philippe Soldevila | Translated by Leanna Brodie
Translated from Conte de la neige (Quebec, Canada)
“A moving play on family, separation and resilience.”
– ICI Radio-Canada
Nothing is more natural for a 10 year old boy born in Quebec in the early 1970s to dream of skating like Guy Lafleur. And our young hero is no exception to this rule. Except that, for more great and only woe, his name is Octavio Casesnoves-Ruiz. For Octavio, this difference is a weight that he refuses to bear. The old stories and values of his Spanish father, a victim of the Spanish cvil war, are of no interest to him until his grandmother gives him a pathway to understanding.
Featuring Ming Hudson, Lucia Frangione & Michael Scholar, Jr.
Sunday March 28, 2021 | 12 pm Pacific / 3 pm Eastern / 8 pm GMT
Tales of the Sun
By Philippe Soldevila | Translated by Leanna Brodie
Translated from Conte du soleil (Quebec, Canada)
“…a brilliant conclusion to his trilogy on emigration, identity and resilience…
as humorous as it is moving…”
– MonThéâtre.qc.ca
Étienne, 10, and Octavio, his father, have isolated themselves from each oher. Étienne prefers his screens, his father takes refuge in his work. Exploring Etienne’s Spanish great-grandmother’s childhood, in the land of the Sun, these two may yet find a way back to each other and connect the worlds of multiple generations. The last chapter of a generational and deeply personal trilogy on the immigrant journey.
Featuring Rick Dobran, Allegra Fulton & Julie Leung
Tales of the Snow and Tales of the Sun where commissioned by Bouche Theatre Collective and made possible by a grant from Canada Council for the Arts.
Conte de la lune, Conte de la neige & Conte du soleil. Produced by Théâtre les Confettis with le Théâtre Sortie de Secours. Photography by Louise Leblanc.
Meet our Playwright & Translator
About the playwright
Philippe Soldevila
(He, Him, His)
“I’m born of Quebec, both feet in the snow. My parents are born of nations under the sun. ” – Phillipe Soldevila
Philippe Soldevila is a leading francophone director, playwright, author, and translator. With a BA in French literature (Université Laval) and Theatre (University of Ottawa), he studied at the Conservatory of dramatic art of Quebec. He is the artistic director of Théâtre Sortie de Secours. In May 1998, he received the John Hirsch Award from the Canada Council for the Arts in recognition of his work as a director. He wrote and directed Tale of the Moon (Mask 2006 for Best Production for Young Audiences, Éloizes 2007 Production of the Year Award and ZOF Award of the French Cultural Federation and SAIC). His artistic approach is guided by his fascination with cultural intermingling and identity issues.
About the translator
Leanna Brodie
(She, Her, Hers)
Leanna Brodie is an actor, playwright, and translator whose passions include lifting up the stories and voices of women, and championing a new generation of French-Canadian playwrights by transmitting their extraordinary theatrical visions into the English language. Her original plays The Vic, For Home and Country, The Book of Esther, and Schoolhouse (Talon Books) have been performed across Canada. Her translations include Christian Bégin’s After Me and Why Are You Crying?; Louise Bombardier’s My Mother Dog; Annie Brocoli’s Stardust; Rébecca Déraspe’s You Are Happy, I Am William, and Gametes; Amélie Dumoulin’s Violette; Sébastien Harrisson’s From Alaska and Two-Part Inventions; Catherine Léger’s Opium_37 and I Lost My Husband!; David Paquet’s Wildfire and The Shoe; Olivier Sylvestre’s The Paradise Arms; Philippe Soldevila’s Tales of the Moon; Larry Tremblay’s Panda Panda; and multiple plays by Hélène Ducharme of Théâtre Motus, whose acclaimed, Dora Award-winning Baobab continues to tour China and the Americas after more than 600 performances.
Workshop Teams
Tales of the Moon
Carmen Aguirre (She, her, hers)
Carmen is a multiple-award winning theatre artist and author and a Core Artist at Electric Company Theatre. She is the writer of the international bestseller Something Fierce: Memoirs of a Revolutionary Daughter and its bestselling sequel Mexican Hooker #1 and My Other Roles Since the Revolution. She has written and co-written twenty-five plays and has over eighty film, tv, and stage acting credits. www.carmenaguirre.ca
ANTHONY SANTIAGO (HE, HIM, HIS)
Anthony’s selected theatre credits include: Best of Enemies (Pacific Theatre), Coriolanus (Bard on the Beach), Company (Raincity Theatre), Sweat (The Arts Club/The Citadel Theatre), Dear Elizabeth (Wunderdog Theatre) Superior Donuts (Ensemble Theatre Company), True West (Sonderhouse Productions). Special love and thanks to his family, friends, Nya-Manet, James and AKC.
MICHAEL SCHOLAR, JR. (HE, HIM, HIS)
Michael is the Artistic Director of November Theatre, whose notable productions include The Black Rider (National Tour) and Hard Core Logo: Live (PuSh Festival). Michael has directed and acted with companies across North America including La Mama (NY), Globe Theatre (Regina), Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Ex Machina (Quebec), Tarragon (Toronto), Arts Club Theatre (Vancouver), Catalyst Theatre (Edmonton) and Belfry Theatre (Victoria) to name a few. www.novembertheatre.com
Sabrina Vellani (She, Her, Hers)
Sabrina Vellani is an Indo-Canadian actor and poet. She graduated from UBC’s BFA Theatre Acting program in 2018. She has acted in Killjoy Theatre’s Burqa Boutique and Axis Theatre’s co-production with Babelle Theatre: All My Friends Are Animals. She was recently in Five Cedar Films’ Speak, which premiered at IFFSA’s 2020 Festival. IMBD
Tales of the Snow
Lucia Frangione (She, her, hers)
Lucia Frangione is an award winning actor and internationally produced playwright from Vancouver. Favourite roles include Annie in Misery for the Arts Club, Rosa in Espresso for The Belfry and Estelle in No Exit for the Electric Theatre Co/Virtual Stage. www.LuciaFrangione.com
MING HUDSON (SHE, HER, HERS)
Ming is a performer, director, deviser, facilitator, and teacher who specializes in physical theatre and the creation of new work as a collective ensemble. She has worked with The Arts Club, Bard on the Beach, Theatre Replacement, Atomic Vaudeville, The Firehall, and Boca del Lupo, and is currently a faculty member at CCPA.
MICHAEL SCHOLAR, JR. (HE, HIM, HIS)
Michael is the Artistic Director of November Theatre, whose notable productions include The Black Rider (National Tour) and Hard Core Logo: Live (PuSh Festival). Michael has directed and acted with companies across North America including La Mama (NY), Globe Theatre (Regina), Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Ex Machina (Quebec), Tarragon (Toronto), Arts Club Theatre (Vancouver), Catalyst Theatre (Edmonton) and Belfry Theatre (Victoria) to name a few. www.novembertheatre.com
Tales of the Sun
RICK DOBRAN (HE, HIM, HIS)
Rick Dobran is an actor and writer living in Vancouver, BC. Rick is very excited to be able to contribute to this creative effort even through the pandemic.
Allegra Fulton (she, her, hers)
Allegra Fulton is an award winning actor and director, whose distinguished career has taken her across Canada, the U.S. and Europe winning accolades and critical praise portraying iconoclasts, sexy and dangerous women. She is proud to have shepherded the Catalan translation of THE LIST by Jennifer Tremblay, and directed the Catalan premiere of LA LLISTA in Barcelona’s prestigious LLuire Theatre, after having performed the English premiere of this wonderful play in Toronto. Her great grandfather, Jesus Garcia, having left Asturias settled in Australia, making a life for himself and his family, and at 40 years of age, returned to fight against Franco in the Spanish Civil War. He was caught in Barcelona and hidden by a family who helped him get back to Australia. Grateful to be part of a play educating us all about a war that still is not easily, or often, spoken of. www.allegrafulton.com
Julie Leung (She, Her, Hers)
Julie is an actor and theatre artist from the Unceded Coast Salish Territories (Vancouver) and is currently residing in the Kulin Nations of the Boon Wurrung First Peoples (Melbourne). She has worked for numerous companies across Canada including Belfry Theatre, Arts Club Theatre, Western Canada Theatre, Green Thumb Theatre and Caravan Farm Theatre. Julie is a graduate of Studio 58.
Guest Dramaturgs
Chris McGregor (HE, HIM, HIS)
Chris McGregor has a Bachelor of Arts in Drama from Bishop’s University and a Masters in Theatre in Directing from the University of British Columbia. Chris has taught physical theatre, Commedia dell’arte, mask and Red Nose Clown at the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, Bishop’s University and Studio 58. He has directed more than 60 productions across Canada and has won four Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards and nominated for four Ovation Awards for directing. Chris began as the Artistic Associate with Axis Theatre Company in 2014 and was appointed Artistic Director in 2015.
Kim Selody (HE, HIM, HIS)
Kim Selody has worked as a writer, director, and actor in Canada and internationally for over 30 years. He has directed more than 100 productions, many world premieres for youth and young audiences. Playwriting credits include Silverwing, The Hobbit, Fool’s Angel, Synthetic Energy, Suddenly Shakespeare and The Last Drop. His reach as a dramaturg has spanned decades, countless projects in many countries. Kim has served as Artistic Director of the Playwrights Theatre Centre, Carousel Players in Southern Ontario, and at Presentation House Theatre since 2011
Creative Producer: Jack Paterson (He, Him, his) *
Jack is an award winning theatre maker whose work and practice has taken him across Canada, UK, EU and around the world. Work has ranged from devising creation, multi-disciplinary, cross-cultural and multi-ligual projects to new works & texts, contemporary approaches to classical theatre. www.jackpatersontheatre.com
Learn more about gender affirming language here
This project is produced with the co-operation of the UBCP/ACTRA.
About our Partners
About Axis Theatre
Axis Theatre is an entertaining, smart and inspirational company focused on engaging young and young-at-heart audiences. In the age of “looking down,” Axis draws young eyes up to engage them in interactive experiences that educate, inspire and transform. www.axistheatre.com
About The Presentation House Theatre
Presentation House Theatre (PHT) is the north shore’s professional theatre company, where ideas play and grow into quality performing arts for all ages. For more than 40 years, friends and strangers have gathered in this welcoming space to enjoy innovative programming and quality professional shows. www.phtheatre.org
About Théâtre Sortie de secours
Since its founding in 1989, Sortie de Secours has devoted itself to the creation of original theatrical works, most often in collaboration with artists from outside its immediate milieu. These encounters being both drive and fuel the approach. The theatrical act is an medium to explore the complexity of identity issues and experience the diversity and marriage of voices. Sortie de Secours is also devoted to creating work inspired by art, literature, myths and international practices, with the aim of generating, through this “cultural distance”, a critical look at our own individual and collective behaviors, both among creators and spectators. Théâtre Sortie de Secours
About The Canadian Play Thing
The Canadian Play Thing is a playwright-centred virtual theatre that shares live readings of new and under-produced Canadian plays online. The goal is to support and celebrate the work of playwrights, and to connect our theatre family across the country. Artists and audiences around the world are welcome. www.plaything.ca
About The PHT Creative Hub
Co-operative
The PHT Creative Hub Co-operative has transformed how we collaborate and share performing arts with our communities. Co-op artist members from across performance disciplines fill our spaces, work on their own creative projects, and share their skills and expertise with each other. The PHT Creative Hub Co-operative
Francophone Canadian Theatre Resources
About Centre des auteurs dramatique
An association of authors serving authors, CEAD is a centre for the support, promotion and dissemination of French-language dramaturgy here. It occupies a unique place both in terms of the number of authors it brings together and the objectives of quality and innovation it pursues. www.cead.qc.ca
About Playwrights’ Workshop Montreal
Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal is a new creation development centre. PWM gives artists the opportunity to create and experiment, dream and take risks, fail and try again. Our dynamic collaborative process draws on our team’s unique expertise and is tailored to the artist’s individual needs. At PWM, playwrights, dramaturgs, translators, directors, performance artists, and theatre companies across the country find a creative accomplice willing to invest deeply in the development of meaningful work. www.playwrights.ca
Special
Thank You
