Porcupine

By David Paquet | Translated by Maureen Labonté

PORCUPINE (PORC-ÉPIC)

By David Paquet
Translated by Maureen Labonté
Staged by Rachel Peake*

Featuring Josette Jorge, Jesse Martyn*, France Perras*, Michael Rinaldi*‏,Stacie Steadman* and Jonathan Winsby*

Winner of the Prix Michel-Tremblay and the 2010 Governor General Award

Cassandra is beautiful, funny and lonely. On her birthday, she wants to be beautiful, funny and popular. So begins a desperate hunt for party guests, from the staff at the corner store to strangers on the street. Black humour and poetry combine in a festive tragedy as people clash and make love. Step one – Balloons.

*Appear courtesy of Canadian Actors Equity Association

About the playwright

David Paquet

As a child, David Paquet would make up stories for his three faithful imaginary friends. That love of storytelling took him to the National Theatre School, where he studied writing. In 2010, audiences discovered his unique voice and dark humour in Porcupine (Governor General’s Literary Award, Michel Tremblay Prize). For teenage audiences, he wrote 2 h 14 and Appels entrants illimités, and co-wrote Les grands-mères mortes, presented at the NAC in 2015. That same year he ventured onto the stage with his poetic solo show, Papiers mâchés. 

About the translator

Maureen Labonté

Maureen Labonté is a dramaturge, translator, and teacher. She has also coordinated a number of play development programs in theatres and playwrights’ centres across the country. In 2006, she was named head of program for the Banff Playwrights Colony at the Banff Centre. She was dramaturge at the Colony from 2003–2005. She was also Literary Manager in charge of play development at the Shaw Festival from 2002–2004. Previous to that, she worked at the National Theatre School of Canada, first developing and running a pilot directing program and then coordinating the playwrighting programme and playwrights’ residency. She still teaches at NTS. Mauren has translated more than thirty Quebec plays into English. Recent translations include: The Bookshop by Marie-Josée Bastien, Everybody’s WELLES pour tous by Patrice Dubois and Martin Labreque, and The Tailor’s Will by Michel Ouellette.