SEEKER
By Marie-Claude Verdier | Translated by Alexis Diamond
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
DATE
Sunday, December 6, 2020
TIME
PT (Vancouver): 12PM
MT (Calgary): 1PM
CT (Regina): 2PM
ET (Montreal): 3PM
AT (Halifax): 4PM
GMT/ WET (London UK): 20:00 hrs
CET (Berlin EU): 21:00 hrs
RUNNING TIME
2 hrs including Intermission
In Association with Ruby Slippers Theatre &
The Canadian Play Thing
Seeker
By Marie-Claude Verdier
Translated by Alexis Diamond
Translated from Seeker (Quebec, Canada)
Lomond is a Seeker. He reads, sees and feels the memories of others for the police. This time, though, it’s different. He’s on a top-secret mission for the Space Force…and his ex. Niamh has just returned from Mars with “the Wizard”, an object containing enigmatic memories she can’t access. To read the Wizard’s cache of memories, Lomond must exchange “a memory for a memory.” He throws himself headfirst into the task…and into the unknown.
A new work by an award winning new playwright, Seeker was first presented at la 10e édition du festival de lectures publiques Dramaturgies en Dialogue.
Featuring Lauren Brotman, Stefanie Buxton, Ming Hudson and Anthony Santiago
This translation and workshop were made possible by grants from Canada Council for the Arts. Artists appear courtesy of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association under the Dance Opera Theatre Agreement. This project is produced with the co-operation of the UBCP/ACTRA.
Meet our Playwright & Translator
About the playwright
Marie-Claude Verdier
(Elle)
Marie-Claude Verdier’s Award winning play Je n’y suis plus, was produced with the NAC Théâtre français NAC (2013).Her play Nous autres antipodes was nominated for the Prix Gratien-Gélinas and Andy gone, a loose adaptation of Antigone, commisioned and produced by the French company Acessor E sempre, was presented in Avignon, and has toured for the last four years and over 100 performances. www.agencerbl.com/en/talents/marie-claude-verdier/
About the translator
Alexis Diamond
(She, Her, Hers)
Alexis is an anglophone theatre artist, opera and musical librettist, translator and theatre curator working on both sides of Montréal’s linguistic divide. Her award-winning plays, operas and translations have been presented across Canada, in the U.S. and in Europe. Alexis Diamond served as co-artistic director of the famed Festival Jamais Lu. Alexis has translated two of Marie-Claude’s other plays, Je n’y suis plus (I’m Not Here) and Andys gone. www.compositetheatre.com
Meet the workshop team
Lauren Brotman (She, Her, Hers) *
Lauren is an award-winning actor, creator, and artist educator, her work taking her across Canada and Europe. Her company, Bound to Create (B2C), explores the beauty of dark and light, having partnered with Obsidian, Tapestry, Native Earth and Theatre Northwest, recently expanding to create work for stage, tv and film. www.boundtocreate.com
Stefanie Buxton (She, Her, Hers) *
Stefanie lives and works in Montréal. She is a graduate of Concordia University and her acting work has spanned over twenty years in theatre, film, television and voice. Selected theatre credits include: Marion Bridge by Daniel MacIvor; On This Day by Alexandria Haber; Province by Mathieu Gosselin; Angel`s Share by Alexis Diamond; The Madonna Painter by Michel Marc Bouchard. Stefanie is also a writer, director and Cégep professor.
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.
Anthony Santiago (He, Him, His) *
Anthony is a Jessie Award winning Vancouver based actor who has appeared in numerous productions across Western Canada, including Company (Raincity Theate), Best of Enemies (Pacific Theatre) and Sweat (Arts Club/Citadel Theatre).
Guest Dramaturg: Diane Brown (She, Her, Hers)
Diane is a multi award-winning director, actor, and Artistic Director of Ruby Slippers Theatre (RST). In 2017, she received the prestigious Bra D’Or Award from Playwrights Guild of Canada and was a 2018 Nominee for the Women of Distinction Awards, in recognition of her years of empowering the voices of diverse female-identifying artists. She and RST earned the reputation as Vancouver’s finest producers of crucial Quebec works in English, translations commissioned by RST. Diane has a BFA from SFU and an MFA in Directing from UBC.
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
About our Partners
About Ruby Slippers Theatre
Ruby Slippers Theatre imagines a world where diversity is celebrated through a deeper understanding of each other. www.rubyslippers.ca
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
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
About Théâtre la Seizième
Founded in 1974, Théâtre la Seizième is the main French language, professional theatre company in British Columbia. Since its creation, la Seizième contributes to the richness and diversity of the performing arts through its activities in new play development, production, presentation, and touring in French. Through powerful experiences that reflect the very best of francophone performing arts, from here and elsewhere, our company aims to inspire, enrich, and bring together diverse audiences. www.seizieme.ca
Special
Thank You
