Talisman Theatre to Bring English Version of VIC AND FLO SAW A BEAR to Centaur Theatre

When Denis Côté released Vic et Flo ont vu un ours in 2013, it took the film world by storm. A genre bending horror/love story, it won numerous international awards, including the prestigious Berlin Film Festival Alfred Bauer award for "opening new perspectives on cinematic art."

This fall, Talisman theatre will be putting it on stage in an English version at the Centaur Theatre. For the company, which has made a name for itself for its stagings of Québécois plays in translation, this is a new departure.

The English translation and adaptation will be done by Michael Mackenzie, who has had a special relationship to Quebec theatre as well as having his plays produced across Canada and throughout Europe. In Montreal, he has won the 'Best Production' prize and both the French and the English critics award. He worked with Robert Lepage in the translation and adaptation of 'Dragon Bleu', and was the dramaturge for the Cirque du Soleil show 'Ka' now playing at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Mackenzie says he was instantly drawn to Côté's film for its dramatic complexity set against the stark reality of the characters. "The lack of stereotypical characterization means that you really have to look/listen to the actors, there're no short-cuts to understanding them. "At the same time, Vic and Flo combines elements of a love story (Vic and Flo) with a backdrop of a domestic drama (Vic and Flo's unfolding relationship, Vic's uncle and his infirmity), the Noir genre (two ex-cons and their parole officer) the newcomers moving the story into the horror genre with final twist of Québécois magic realism.

Talisman's artistic director Lyne Paquette says that it is a natural evolution to put a Québécois film on the stage at a time when Quebec culture has been going through a period of outstanding success for its films (three Foreign Language Oscar nominations in the last 4 years). Within Quebec, homemade films attract a higher percentage of overall domestic attendance than even France or the U.K.-at a level usually more than tenfold that of English Canadian audiences going to English Canadian films. "So if you are looking for a window into Quebec culture, you can look first at its films. And Vic and Flo saw a bear is a powerful place to start."

For this production, Talisman is partnering with IMAGE+NATION Montreal LGBT Film Festival and will be co-presenting a roundtable within the festival.

IF YOU GO:

Vic and Flo saw a bear

November 23-December 2, 2017

Adapted, Translate for the stage and Directed by Mickael McKenzie

Centaur Theatre | 453 St Francois Xavier St.

Box office: 514-288-3161 [Tickets go on sale in August]

Online: centaurtheatre.com/tickets.html

Info: Talisman Theatre

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