A Glimpse into New Translation: Digital Workshop Series
A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE IS A DIFFERENT VISION OF LIFE
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.
A Glimpse Production History
Sunday, November 22, 2020
In association with Ruby Slippers Theatre
STILL LIFE
By Marie-Ève Milot & Marie-Claude St-Laurent | Translated by Rhiannon Collett
Translated from CHIENNE(S) (Quebec, Canada)
“… a vibrant homage to art, to a woman’s place to challenge everything…”
– Le Devoir
Paralized by fear, a woman locks herself in her apartment on her 30th birthday. A poetic and raw portrait of anxiety disorders and their cuases.
Featuring Allison Basha, Leanna Brodie, Eric Davis, Christine Quintana & Anthony Santiago
Sunday, December 6, 2020
In association with Ruby Slippers Theatre
SEEKER
By Marie-Claude Verdier | Translated by Alexis Diamond
Translated from SEEKER (Quebec, Canada)
A brand new work by leading francophone playwright.
Lomond is a Seeker. He reads, sees and feels the memories of others for the police. This time it’s a top secret mission for the Space Force…and his ex.
Featuring Lauren Brotman, Stefanie Buxton, Ming Hudson and Anthony Santiago
Sunday, December 13, 2020
In association with Western Gold Theatre
THE BALLAD OF GEORGES BOIVIN
By Martin Bellemare | Translated by Jack Paterson
Translated from LE CHANT DE GEORGES BOIVIN (Quebec)
“…a theatrical road-movie brimming with vulnerability…” – L-Express.ca
Life must continue even after great loss. At 77, widower Georges Boivin sets out on road trip from Québec to Vancouver, in search of his first love he hasn’t seen in 50 years.
Featuring Jay Brazeau & John Innes | Dramaturgy by Johanna Nutter
Sunday, February 28, 2021
In association with Presentation House Theatre
RIVER BED
By Eric Noel | Translated by Jordan Arseneault
Translated from FAIRE DES ENFANTS (Quebec, Canada)
“…goes right to the heart… Pure and sublime.” – Le Devoir
Philippe, 24, burns for the dark light: drugs, sex, alcohol, prostitution. A visceral poetic text combining naturalism, surrealism in a blend of lush and gritty language,
Featuring Scott Button, Rhiannon Collett, Rick Dobran, Brian Postalian,
Christine Quintana, Lisa C. Ravensbergen, Deneh’Cho Thompson, Anais West & Nelson Wong
Sunday, March 14, 2021
In association with Axis Theatre & Presentation House Theatre
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…a celebration of beauty.” – Le Soleil
1940s. In a Catalan village, Joan’s imagination helps him to survive a father imprisoned by Franco’s fascists, the disappearance of his dog – and that he’s failing math! Years later, his diary tells of the Spanish Moon, lemon trees, and long forgotten days.
Featuring Carmen Aguirre, Anthony Santiago, Micheal Scholar, JR, and Sabrina Vellani
Sunday March 21, 2021
In association with Axis Theatre & Presentation House Theatre
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
1970s Quebec and Octavio Casesnoves-Ruiz dream of skating like Guy Lafleur. 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
In association with Axis Theatre & Presentation House Theatre
TALES OF THE SUN
By Philippe Soldevila | Translated by Leanna Brodie
Translated from Conte du soleil (Quebec, Canada)
“…a beautiful conclusion to this trilogy on emigration, identity and resilience…
as humorous as it is moving…”– MonThéâtre.qc.ca
The final play of Phillipe Soldevila’s award winning deeply personal emigration trilogy. From Spain to Quebec, from 1917 to 2017, the tales of this trilogy explores identity, the encounter between cultures, and the search for belonging in Canadian culture.
Featuring Rick Dobran, Allegra Fulton & Julie Leung
Sunday May 30 2021
In association with Zee Zee Theatre
A SEX ED GUIDE FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM
By Olivier Sylvestre | Translated by Bobby Theodore
“…daring, frank, raw, funny and touching…so rarely on stage: the discovery of sexuality, with all its clumsiness, questions and desires.” – La Press
1999. It’s the end of the summer and the end of high school. Oliver, Sophie and Ben face the impossible task of defining exactly who they are before the end of the world.
Featuring Makram Ayache, Scott Button & Julie Leung | Playwright & Translator Q&A moderated by Dave Deveau
Sunday June 20 2021
In association with Théâtre la Seizième
AND IF ONE NIGHT
By Lisa L’Heureux | Translated by Mishka Lavigne
“Modern and poetic…four characters whose desire for true human contact seeks to transcend the virtuality of screens” – ici.radio-canada.ca
In fragmented dream space, four characters dive into forbidden zones of human intimacy. Et si un soir was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award French Drama (2019), the Prix du livre d’Ottawa (2019) and the Prix littéraire Émergence de l’AAOF (2019). and the recipient of the prix littéraire Trillium (2019).
Featuring Carmina Bernhardt, Lauren Brotman, Chris Francisque & Julie Tamiko Manning | Q&A moderated by Catherine Ballachey
Sunday, July 18, 2021
In association with Ruby Slippers Theatre & Théâtre la Seizième
FACELIFT
By Nathalie Boisvert | Translated by Johanna Nutter
First the foundation, then the eyes and finally the mouth… the daily activity of applying make-up turns into a examination a woman’s life, her ideals of beauty & seduction, ageing and women’s freedom. A brand new work, Facelift was featured at TEAMTHEATER TANKSTELLE e.V (Munich).
Featuring Nimet Kanji, Lisa C. Ravensbergen & Gwynyth Walsh | Q&A moderated by Catherine Ballachey
Sunday, October 17, 2021
In association with Touchstone Theatre
MALL
By Emmanuelle Jimenez | Translated by Johanna Nutter
“This is one of the best texts of the new season…hard-hitting and hysterical…” – Mario Cloutier, La Presse +
Featuring Deena Aziz, Carmina Bernhardt, Lally Cadeau, Lucia Frangione, Christine Quintana, Suzanne Ristic, & Sabrina Vellani
Search, find, buy, again and again: the t-shirt, the earrings, the dog, the rabbit, the snake, the flying carpet…Seven women of divers background and ages dive desperately into a whirlwind of outrageous consumption. Seven prisoners of the shopping mall.
Sunday Jan. 30 2022ern
In Association with The Canadian Play Thing, PHT Creative Hub & United Players of Vancouver
THE HARDINGS
By Alexia Bürger | Translated by Alexis Diamond
Featuring Rick Dobran, Paul David Power, & Anthony Santiago
“…an enormously powerful and touching piece… an important theatrical experience…” – Mazrou
A Quebec railway worker, an American insurance salesman and a New Zealander researcher have the same name: Thomas Harding. On the surface, they have nothing in common. Until one night, a train derails and the invisible tracks that connect these three existences begin to reveal themselves.
Meet the Artists
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
JORDAN ARSENEAULT (HE, HIM, HIS) | Translator: River Bed
Jordan Arseneault (b. New Brunswick, 1980) is a critic, drag performer, social artist, meeting facilitator and translator. His staged work and participative workshops address issues of criminalization, stigma, mental health, HIV/AIDS, addiction, biculturalism, queerness and community. Former editor of Quebec’s only English language monthly for the LGBT community, 2Bmag (2010-2013), his reviews and articles have been published in Maisonneuve, Nightlife.ca, Forget the Box. He currently lives in Montreal.
Makram Ayache (HE, HIM, HIS)
Makram Ayache is a Lebanese Canadian playwright, director, actor, and theatre producer who splits his time between Edmonton and Toronto. His work explores meaningful representation of Queer Arab experiences. At it’s core, his art is an attempt at bridging complex political realities with the intimate lived experiences of the people involved. www.makramayache.com
Deena Aziz (she, her, hers)
Based in Montreal and Pittsburgh (and any place with stable wifi), Deena is an actor, dramaturge and industry advocate in theatre and film. She has “followed the work” across Canada, in the US, and internationally, but these days, like many, she’s been sticking close to home.
Allison Basha (She, Her, Hers)
Allison (a proud Newfoundlander based in Toronto) is a performer, creator, talent coordinator, and teacher. Credits include: Flying Hearts (Theatre Direct), Newfie Electra (TIFT), This Is Nowhere (Zuppa Theatre co.). Allison trained at East 15 and Dal Theatre. She is the recipient of ‘Best Supporting Actor’ by Joyful Magpies’ Best of Fredericton Theatre. www.allisonbasha.com
Catherine Ballachey (She, Her, Hers) | Guest Drramaturg
Catherine Ballachey is a Vancouver-based dramaturg and administrator. She completed her MA in Dramaturgy at the University of Ottawa in 2016. In 2009, she received her BFA in Performance Theatre and French from Simon Fraser University. She has worked with many local companies including Neworld Theatre, Pi Theatre, Electric Company Theatre, and Théâtre la Seizième.
Martin Bellemare (he, him, his) | Writer: The Ballad of Georges Boivin
Martin Bellemare was nominated for the 2020 Siminovitch Prize and awarded the 2009 Gratien Gélinas Prize. His La Liberté was presented at La Rubrique (Jonquière, 2013), Montreal (2015), and was scheduled to be staged in Ottawa in 2020. Maître Karim la perdrix (2018 Prix SACD de la dramaturgie francophone, awarded by the Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques) will premiere at the Théâtre des Capucins in Luxembourg in 2021. Moule Robert (shortlisted for the 2017 Prix SACD de la dramaturgie francophone and the 2018 Michel Tremblay Prize) was produced simultaneously at La Rubrique and at the POCHE/ GVE in Geneva, then at Théâtre de Belleville in Paris. His work has been produced in Quebec, France, Poland and Switzerland and translated into German, Italian and Lithuanian.
Carmina Bernhardt (she, her, hers)
Vancouver-born, London-based, mixed Caucasian/Japanese/Chinese woman who acts, writes, directs for theatre and film. Graduated with Distinction from Royal Central School of Speech and Drama’s MA Acting for Screen. Recipient of the London Library’s Emerging Writers Award 2019 and in 2020, New Earth Theatre’s BESEA Professional Writers Programme.
NATHALIE BOISVERT (elle, she, her, hers) | Playwright: Facelift
Nathalie Boisvert holds a BA in acting and a MA in drama from the University of Quebec. In 1997, her first play, L’histoire sordide de Conrad B., was performed at the Festival de Spa (Belgium), remounted in Brussels and translated into English by Bobby Theodore. In 1999, her work, L’été des Martiens (Lansman) premiered simultaneously in Quebec (Théâtre Niveau Parking) and France (La Comédie de la Mandoune) and again produced simultaneously in 2006 in Dusseldorf (Landstheatre) and Berlin (Grips). In 2006, her play Vie et Mort d’un village, received lauréate des Journées de Lyon (Éditions Comp’Act) and she received le Prix Gratien-Gélinas in 2007 for Buffet chinois. Her Antigone au printemps was shortlisted for the 2018 Governor General’s Award French Language Drama and received the Prix Émile-Augier. Antigone is currently being translated to English by Hugh Hazelton.
Leanna Brodie (She, Her, Hers) | Translator: Tales of the Moon, Tales of the Snow, Tales of the Sun
Leanna Brodie is a Jessie-nominated actor (for Pi Theatre’s Terminus and Théâtre la Seizieme’s Bonjour, là, bonjour); an Artistic Associate of Ruby Slippers Theatre; and an MFA candidate at the University of Calgary. She is currently co-writing Salesman in China with Jovanni Sy and translating several new Québec plays. www.leannabrodie.com
Jay Brazeau (He, Him, his)
Jay is seemingly everywhere. His TV work includes SUPERNATURAL, PSYCH, STARGATE SGI, BATES MOTEL, ROGUE, WEST WING, THE X FILES, and THE KILLING. Films: DOUBLE JEOPARDY, WATCHMEN, INSOMNIA, BEST IN SHOW, COOL RUNNINGS, WE’RE NO ANGELS, THE POSSESSION, LITTLE WOMEN, and many others. Jay’s favourite theatre roles includes: “The Drowsy Chaperone” (NAC, Vancouver Playhouse), “Fiddler on the Roof” (California The Rubicon Theatre), “The Goat” (Presentation House Theatre), Cyrano (Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Shakespeare Festival), Andrew Lloyd Webber’s North American Tour of “Wizard of Oz” and the wonderful Edna Turnblad in the Canadian premiere of “Hairspray”. Jay is writing his own play FORTUNATE SONS and co-writing a screenplay THE PROFESSIONALS. IMBD
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
Diane Brown (She, Her, Hers) | Guest Dramaturg
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.
Scott Button ( he, him, his)
Scott is a Jessie-nominated actor and writer residing on unceded Coast Salish territory. Look out for his upcoming queer-historical-fiction podcast NIGHT PASSING, presented by the Arts Club Theatre Company. www.scottbutton.ca
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.
Lally Cadeau (SHE, HER, HERS)
I had a glorious almost 50 year run as a pretty constantly employed actress. Lovely people and fond memories.
Rhiannon Collett (They, Them, Theirs) | Translator: Still Life
Rhiannon Collett is a non-binary playwright, performer and translator working in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. Selected playwriting credits include Miranda & Dave Begin Again (awarded the Playwrights Guild of Canada RBC Emerging Playwright Award); Wasp (Nightswimming/Rhubarb Festival); The Kissing Game (Youtheatre/Young People’s Theatre/Banff Playwrights Lab); Tragic Queens (Cabal Theatre/Wildside Festival). www.rhiannoncollett.com
Eric Davis (He, Him, His)
Eric’s a Montreal actor known for his work in theatre, film, tv, voice-over, and video games. Noteworthy credits include Roland Emmerich’s WWII film MIDWAY; NAC’s production of Tartuffe (adapted by Andy Jones with CODCO members); short film REST STOP, based on Stephen King’s story, for which he won the El Paso Film Festival Best Actor Award. He’s a singer songwriter and performs with the band Summersett.
DAVE DEVEAU (HE, HIM, HIS) | Guest Dramaturg
Dave Deveau is an award-winning writer and performer whose plays and operas have been performed across Canada and in Europe. Plays for Zee Zee include: My Funny Valentine, Nelly Boy, Tiny Replicas, Lowest Common Denominator, Dead People’s Things, Elbow Room Cafe: The Musical and Holiday at the Elbow Room Café. He has also worked with Green Thumb Theatre, Theatre la Seizieme, Theatre Direct, Tapestry New Opera Works, Buddies in Bad Times, Roseneath Theatre, the PuSh Festival and the Vancouver International Children’s Festival. His drag alter-ego Peach Cobblah can be seen hosting politics-forward drag events across the Lower Mainland. He is a graduate of York University and UBC’s MFA Playwriting program.
ALEXIS DIAMOND (SHE, HER, HERS) | Translator: Seeker
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
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.
Chris Francisque (He, Him, His)
Chris is a Jessie award-winning actor, who was born in Montréal, Québec and raised on the south shore in St-Hubert. Chris has been featured in various commercials, television and film roles. Before the pandemic, Chris would have been seen in Le NoShow Vancouver, which was his French theatrical debut with Théâtre La Seizième.
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
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
LISA L’HEUREUX (She, her, hers) | Writer: And if one night
LISA L’HEUREUX is an Ottawa-based playwright, director, and dramaturg. She is a graduate of University of Ottawa (B.A. in Theatre and History) and of University of British Columbia (M.A. in Theatre Research). With her company, Théâtre Rouge Écarlate, she has created Ciseaux, Pour l’hiver (Prix Jacques-Poirier 2017), and Et si un soir, cocreated Proximité and directed Projet D. She has contributed to many collaborative pieces, such as À quoi ça sert d’être brillant si t’éclaires personne (NAC French Theatre). As a dramaturg, Lisa worked with Satellite Théâtre (Moncton) and with Sudbury playwright Antoine Côté Legault.
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.
John Innes (He, Him, his)
John Innes was an early graduate of the National Theatre School (’67). He has performed in every major regional theatre in Canada, including 12 seasons with the Stratford Shakespeare Festival where he received a Tyrone Guthrie Award twice. He has also performed in regional theatres in the United States including 3 seasons with the Denver Center Theatre Company. In all, he has been a working actor for over 55 years.
Nimet Kanji (She, her, hers)
Nimet is an award winning Theatre and TV/Film actor and has had the pleasure of working with Edward James Olmos (Battlestar Galactica), Kevin Sorbo (Paradox) and John Cusack (Martian Child) amongst other notable names. Her theatre credits include ‘Sultans of the Street’ (Carousel Theatre), ‘9 Parts of Desire’ (The Maggie Tree) and ‘Victim Impact’ (Theatre Conspiracy).
Mishka Lavigne (She, her, hers) | Translator: And if one night
Mishka Lavigne is a playwright and literary translator based in Ottawa/Gatineau. Her translation work for theatre has been seen in Ottawa, Montreal, and France. Her translations of poetry are published in Ontario and Québec, included the recently published Cette blessure est un territoire, a French translation of Billy-Ray Belcourt’s Griffin Poetry Prize winning collection This Wound is a World. Her own works include Cinéma (Théâtre la Catapulte and Théâtre Belvédère.), Vigile (Théâtre Rouge Écarlate). Her play Havre won the 2019 Governor General’s Literary Award for Drama (French).
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.
Julie Tamiko Manning (She, Her, Hers)
An award-winning actor and theatre creator based in Tiohtiá:ke /Montréal, Julie has performed across the country and beyond from the NAC (Ottawa) to Factory (Toronto) to the Firehall (Vancouver) to the Festival Grec (Barcelona). Her play The Tashme Project (with Matt Miwa) was published in 2019 and she is currently writing her third play, Mizushōbai.
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.
MARIE-ÈVE MILOT (SHE, HER, HERS) | Writer: Still Life
Since graduating l’École de théâtre du Cégep de Saint-Hyacinthe, Marie-Eve Milot has been deeply involved in the theatre world. As an actress, she has collaborated with Hugo Bélanger (Princess Turandot, Pinocchio, Peter et Alice), Marc Beaupré (Ce samedi il pleuvait), Serge Denoncourt (Thérèse et Pierrette à l’École des Saints-Anges), Geneviève L. Blais (Si les oiseaux, Local B-1717) and Sébastien David Scratch. She was seen le Petit Théâtre de La Colline in Paris, in Les barbelés by Annick Lefebvre, staged by Alexia Boerger, and then remounted the show at the Théâtre de Quat’Sous. She can be seen on large and small screen (Les pays d’en haut, 5e rang).
ERIC NOEL (THEY, THEM, THEIRS) | Writer: River Bed
Eric Noel is a Quebecois playwright and graduate of NTS French language writing program. They are the author of Faire des enfants (2009), Tirade pour Henri (2010), Ces regards amoureux de garçons altérés (2015) and L’Amoure Looks Something Like You (2020). They are also the author of a libretto for an opera by Vincent-Olivier
Gagnon, Sans électricité, les oiseaux disparaissent (2009), and the children’s theatre piece La Mère, le Père, le Petit et le Grand (2012). They also adapted Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince for Theatre La Roulotte with “Asteroid B 612” (2018).
Johanna Nutter (She, Her, Hers) | Dramaturg
Johanna Nutter is artistic director of creature/creature, a polymorphic company born of Nutter’s passion for blurring lines between established divisions. Her work has toured extensively throughout her home province of Quebec, across Canada and internationally, in both English and French, to such venues as Soho Theatre (London), The Pleasance (Edinburgh), Les Halles (Brussels), and La Licorne (Montreal). She won the PWM/Cole Emerging Translator award and brought CHLORINE (Longpré & Michon), which produced and directed at The Centaur (Brave New Looks 2016). She is currently working on texts by Annick Lefèbvre, Guillaume Corbeil, and Étienne Lepage.
PAUL DAVID POWER (HE, HIM, HIS)
Paul David Power has spent 25 years working as a writer, playwright, actor and director. His leadership positions include President of the Liffey Players Drama Society (Calgary), Artistic Director for Hubcity Theatre (Moncton) and Artistic Associate for the Shakespeare by the Sea Festival (St. John’s). Paul is an award winning playwright with Roomies, Last Chance, The View From Down Here, In Your Eyes and his current critically acclaimed touring production, Crippled. Paul is currently the Artistic Director of Power Productions (NL) – a professional theatre company dedicated to the development of works and artists with a focus on the disabled Deaf and MAD Arts domain. www.powerproductionsnl.com
Brian Postalian (Any)
Brian Postalian (Բրայն Փոսթալյան) is a theatre director, producer, and performance creator born and raised in Toronto/Tkaronto by way of Armenia, Ireland, Wales, and the Czech Republic. He is the founding Artistic Director of Re:Current Theatre, a Toronto/Vancouver based company creating performances that reimagine gathering. www.brianpostalian.com
CHRISTINE QUINTANA (SHE, HER, HERS)
Christine is an actor, playwright, and co-artistic director of Delinquent Theatre, based on unceded Coast Salish Territory. www.christinequintana.ca
Lisa C. Ravensbergen (She, Her, Hers)
A tawny mix of Ojibwe/Swampy Cree and English/Irish, Lisa is an award-winning, multi-hyphenate theatre artist and emerging scholar. Her work is rooted in Indigenous protocol, ontologies, and decolonial methodologies and is recognized nationally and internationally for its rigour and artistic excellence. Lisa resides on unceded Coast Salish territory. lisacr.com
Suzanne Ristic (she, her, hers)
Suzanne has been a performing artist for over forty years. She is a recipient of the Jessie Richardson award for outstanding actress, 1988, in Danny and the Deep Blue Sea. She wrote and produced her first play Poor and is presently in development of a new play: Driving Me Crazy with co-writer Linda Carson, slated for production next year.
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
Kim Selody (HE, HIM, HIS) | Guest Dramaturg
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
MARIE-CLAUDE ST-LAURENT (SHE, HER, HERS) | Writer: Still Life
Marie-Claude St-Laurent is an actor, author, feminist activist, co-editor of La Nef aux Éditions du remue-ménage. On the small screen, she was seen in the popular youth show Vrak La vie and is more recently as a cast member in L’écrivain public III and des Sioui-Bacon V. On stage, she produced Guérilla de l’ordinaire, Chienne(s), Toc Toc, Grease and Aller chercher demain. A member of the steering committee of Espace Go, and collaborated in the research study conducted by the RéQEF.
PHILIPPE SOLDEVILA (HE, HIM, HIS) | Writer: Tales of the Moon, Tales of the Snow, Tales of the Sun
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
Olivier Sylvestre (he, him, his) | Writer: The Desert, A Sex Ed. Guide for the New Millennium
Olivier Sylvestre is a Canadian writer from Quebec. He is most noted for his first theatrical play La beauté du monde, which won the Prix Gratien-Gélinas and was a shortlisted finalist for the Governor General’s Award for French-language drama at the 2015 Governor General’s Awards, and his short story collection Noms fictifs, which was a shortlisted finalist for the Governor General’s Award for French-language fiction at the 2018 Governor General’s Awards.
Bobby Theodore (he, him, his) | Translator: A Sex Ed. Guide for the New Millennium
Bobby Theodore is a Canadian screenwriter, playwright and translator. He has worked mainly in television and theatre, and is most known for his translation of François Archambault’s 15 Seconds, for which he was nominated for a Governor General’s Award in 2000. In 2016 he is the host of the Glassco Translation Residency in Tadoussac, a retreat that allows playwrights, translators and adaptors from across Canada to develop their projects and exchange ideas with each other. Theodore currently lives in Toronto’s annex.
Deneh'Cho Thompson (He, him, his)
Deneh’Cho Thompson, Assistant Professor, University of Saskatchewan is an actor, director, and educator of mixed Indigenous decent. His research interests include Indigenous pedagogies for theatre training, Indigenous dramaturgies, and destabilizing the mainstream theatre forms.
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
MARIE-CLAUDE VERDIER (SHE, HER, HERS) | Writer: Seeker
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/
Gwynyth Walsh (She, Her, Hers)
Well versed on stage and screen, Gwynyth is happy to be working with Jack Paterson again. Screen credits include Virgin River, Man in the High Castle and Black Summer. Stage credits include The Tempest ( with Jack! ), Mary Stuart, King Charles III, and Barefoot in the Park.
Anais West (she, her, hers)
Anais is a queer writer, actor and producer, as well as a Polish settler on the occupied lands of the Coast Salish people. Her plays have been presented across North America, and have been nominated for two Jessie Awards (for Poly Queer Love Ballad). She has performed with Théâtre La Seizième, The Only Animal, Rumble Theatre, and more. www.anaiswest.com
Nelson Wong (He, Him, His)
Nelson Wong has been acting in Vancouver for over 20 years and boasts over 100 IMDb credits, including 20 plus appearances in Hallmark movies, and recurring roles on Lucifer (FOX), Riverdale (CW), and The Good Doctor (ABC). On stage Nelson has worked closely with playwright C.E. Gatchalian, originating the characterizations of Jeff and Chang Hyun for his world premieres of Broken (2006 Meta4Theatre), and Falling In Time (2012-Screaming Weenie). Nelson Wong Actor
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
* Artists appear courtesy of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association under the Dance Opera Theatre Agreement and the UBCP/ACTRA ULB Agreement.
Meet 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 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 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 Global Hive Labs.
GLOBAL HIVE LABS. is an international network of artists and organisations working together in devised creation with inclusivity, equity and access central to the work. www.globalhivelabs.org
About LeftRightMinds
Left Right Minds is a practical creative solutions company located in Vancouver, British Columbia. We provide web development, cloud hosting, content marketing solutions, and project. development consulting. We help you understand and love your technology.
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. Playwrights, dramaturgs, translators, directors, performance artists, and theatre companies across the country find a creative accomplice. www.playwrights.ca
About 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 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
About Playwrights’ Theatre Centre
Vancouver’s PTC is a dramaturgically focused theatre company that finds, nurtures, and advances the Canadian playwright, supporting new plays from creation to performance with emerging and established theatre artists. Our focus is dramaturgy, development, playmaking from A to Z. www.playwrightstheatre.com
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 Théâtre de l’Affamée
Théâtre de l’Affamée is mandated to invest in a (re) new Feminist/feminine theatre, they create complex characters that can be identified outside the binary mode of gender, question normativity and provoke new possibilities. Théâtre de l’Affamée
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
About Théâtre Sortie de secours
Since 1989, Sortie de Secours has devoted itself to the creation of original theatrical works, usualy 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. Théâtre Sortie de Secours
About TOUCHSTONE THEATRE
For over 42 years Touchstone Theatre has been a mainstay of theatrical innovation and excellence on the West Coast. The company’s all-Canadian mandate has helped develop and launch some of the country’s most important playwrights and actors, and its substantial body of work has garnered over 75 local and national awards. Now in its fifth decade of production Touchstone remains a lightning rod of theatrical activity. Its purely Canadian focus makes it essential in the region, and its reputation for excellence has earned the respect of audiences, critics, and colleagues. Touchstone Theatre
About Upintheair Theatre
UPINTHEAIR’s major activity is the creation and production of innovative live theatrical performances. We focus on the speculative fiction genre as a thought-provoking lens through which to explore contemporary political and societal issues. www.upintheairtheatre.com
About United Players of Vancouver
The uniqueness of United Players has been this diverse blend of artists of all ages, experiences and from all walks of life. The result is an exciting, energetic, creative, and fulfilling environment in which dreams can be realized, careers advanced, achievements accomplished, and magic created.
About Western Gold Theatre
WESTERN GOLD THEATRE is the premier company in the country focused on sharing and celebrating the talents of senior professional theatre artists (age 55+). Western Gold also mentors emerging younger professional artists as they ‘share the boards’ with us. We are a vibrant creative gathering place for artists and audiences, young and old. www.westerngoldtheatre.org
About ZEE ZEE Theatre
Zee Zee Theatre believes in individual stories that provoke and inspire us, and that foster common understanding and empathy across our diverse human experiences. Zee Zee is devoted to telling diverse stories and amplifying the voices of those on the margins with a focus on LGBTQ2SI+ communities. Zee Zee explores intimate moments through which the infinite complexity of human character can be revealed. www.zeezeetheatre.ca
Land Acknowledgement
Bouche’s activities take place on and are launched from the unceded traditional territories of the Coast Salish People: the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. We recognize and honour the recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation commission and acknowledge the importance of Indigenous sovereignty on this unceded territory.
*A territorial or land acknowledgement is an act of reconciliation that involves making a statement recognizing the traditional territory of the Indigenous people who called the land home before the arrival of settlers, and in many cases still do call it home.
For more information on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada click here.