MainLine Theatre Presents DARK OWL, 11/16-28

Lauded for last season's ambitious Suburban Motel Series by George F. Walker, Tableau D'Hôte Theatre is proud to present the Quebec premiere of Dark Owl by Laval Goupil, translated by Glen Nichols and directed by Jessica Abdallah. Dark Owl, staged at MainLine Theatre from Nov. 16-28, will enthrall audiences with its theatrically beautiful and tragic story of an Acadian family striving to break away from a haunting past that has isolated them in the centre of a gossip-infested community.
 
Evocative and compelling, Dark Owl brings us to a small New Brunswick fishing town in the 1970's. When a good-looking stranger appears in the village, a dysfunctional family is forced to confront their involvement in a tragic event. The grown children relive their past, re-enacting the moment when a mysterious man entered the neighbourhood and changed their lives forever. This linguistically authentic production includes text from Goupil's original chiac version, providing a true Acadian flavour that mirrors Quebec's distinct blending of French and English. Mike Payette, Tableau D'Hôte Theatre's artistic director, is eager to invite audiences to witness stories of neighbouring provinces that they do not readily have the opportunity to see.

For director Jessica Abdallah, Dark Owl allows her to work on two favourite themes, family dynamics and communication, "The bilingual element in the play furthers the idea of how we communicate our territory, our culture, our breath, our fears, our wounds and our secrets in this country." Abdallah is excited about the amazing dynamic created between the actors playing the four siblings, "The play is full of striking images that are not only in the lyrical yet daring text, but also created physically."
 
"What's most compelling about this family's story is their will and dire need to come back together as a unit," says Mike Payette. Captivating for him is that we engage in this family and ultimately root for them, difficult though it may be at times. Payette understands the duality of both questioning and allowing various actions, "It's important to ask what our own position would be. How much responsibility are we willing to take."
 
The talented ensemble of bilingual Montreal actors features Liz Burns (Featuring Loretta, Tableau D'Hôte Theatre), Holly Gauthier-Frankel (Medea, Scapegoat Carnivale/Centaur), Dan Jeannotte (Cherry Docs, Persephone), Catherine Lemieux (Problem Child, Tableau D'Hôte Theatre), Gilles Plouffe (Peer Gynt, Théâtre Décalage/Usine C) and Léa Rondot (The Real Inspector Hound, MainLine Theatre). Set by Jennifer Goodman, lighting by Jody Burkholder, costumes by Noémi Poulin and sound by Rob Denton. The stage manager is Brian Imperial.

Founded by Mike Payette and Mathieu Perron, leading independent company Tableau D'Hôte Theatre has produced eighteen productions including fourteen English Montréal premieres and four world premieres. Mandated to exclusively produce Canadian theatre, their mission is to showcase established and emerging writers who have yet to be seen by Montreal audiences. New this season, Tableau D'Hôte Theatre is collaborating with the performance training program Overture with the Arts, leading a pilot project for youth from low-income families. This is the company's first outreach initiative to foster the talents of future Canadian artists.

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