Talisman Theatre is honoured to present the English-language premiere of The Flood Thereafter playing at Theatre La Chapelle from October 14-23. According to playwright Sarah Berthiaume, "The Flood Thereafter is a contemporary mermaid story, a quiet tragedy, a mythic fable full of sunshine, flat beer and a river lapping into the gravel." Directed by Emma Tibaldo, the talented cast includes Stéphane Blanchette, Catherine Colvey, Chimwemwe Miller, Bill Rowat, Amelia Sargisson and Felicia Shulman in this mesmerising piece. No one will leave the theatre unmoved. The company is delighted that tickets are going quickly, with some show dates almost sold-out!
The Flood Thereafter is a twisted fairytale set in a tidal pool of a fishing village on the Lower St Lawrence. It tells the story of June, daughter of a mermaid who cursed the small community and drove away the fishwives. Now, when June strips at Bar Émotion the men weep helplessly. But June is tired of carrying the fishermen's burdens. When the trucker Dennis appears, he breaks the spell holding back the tide.
Sarah Berthiaume, a rising star in Quebecois theatre and one of the new generation of young feminist playwrights, wrote The Flood Therafter after a road trip to the Gaspésie. Equally influential in shaping the play's arc was Berthiaume's fascination with mermaid myth. Sarah is enchanted with Nadine Desrocher's adaptation, "Each image is translated with great attention to rhythm, poetry and language. Nadine's translation grasps the essence of Le Déluge après and makes it new.
What is a female myth? How do different cultures interpret the symbols that have dominated the way women are seen? The Flood Thereafter deals with the religious, mythological and pornographic issues raised by the exposure of the female form. Director Emma Tibaldo is both repelled and fascinated by the strip club in every Québec town along the highway and by Berthiaume's investigation of this phenomenon, "I often wonder at the people that live and work in small towns along the Trans-Canada. I can spend hours dreaming up possibilities as we drive along and then I'm suddenly confronted by a seedy looking strip club, severing my reverie. Who works in this strip club surrounded by trees, grass and water? Who goes to this club- father, grandfather, brother, boyfriend? I love that this play answers these questions by creating a fable." Tibaldo enjoys any play that forces her to look at the world differently as does this one, "Sarah Berthiaume's sense of humour and unique twist on the morality of fables pushes this story into the realm of feminist thought. My goal is to create a world on stage that deepens the discussion and is not exploitative."
The production design is led by Talisman Theatre Artistic Director Lyne Paquette. She shares how her aesthetic vision embraces both poles of Berthiaume's magic-realism, "The play is set in the dull reality of a community of seaside mobile homes, but the plot is driven by natural magic. The set is a rusted-out shipwreck where the waves of reality and myth intersect- kilometers of used audiotape symbolize the sea of stories. The narrator will be closing the space by weaving the tape as on a giant, twisted loom, creating a sense of entrapment and isolation like a tide pool before the flood." Completing the design team is David Perreault Ninacs, lights; Michael Leon, sound; Fruzsina, Lanyi, costumes; and Rasili Botz, movement. The stage manager is
Mary Davidson.
"There's a fairytale stuck in my throat, it climbs up to my eyes and comes out in tears, and there's no one there to listen..."- Grace
The Flood Thereafter
Talisman Theatre
Playing at Theatre La Chapelle, 3700 rue St. Dominique
October 14-23
Tuesday to Saturday, 8:00 pm
Matinees: Wed. Oct. 20 at 1:30pm and Sat., Oct. 23 at 3:00 pm
26$ regular, 22$ students/seniors
Pay-what-you-can: Preview, Thurs. Oct. 14 (minimum $10)
Reservations: 514 843-7738 or purchase online: La Chapelle box office
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About Talisman Theatre (www.talisman-theatre.com for bios and information on past productions)
Talisman Theatre's mission is to produce English-language premières of contemporary Québécois works, bringing the visceral intensity of Quebecois theatrical practice to non-Francophones. The company has developed a talented bilingual team with its own distinctive artistic approach. They are pleased at the number of school groups who are coming to see this production. Talisman Theatre is also active in the development of Montreal's English-Language Artistic community and is proud to be part of The Group of 5, a coalition of five professional theatre and dance-theatre companies planning a permanent rehearsal/performance space. The Group of 5 includes, along with Talisman Theatre, Dulcinea Langfelder & Co., Imago Theatre, Playwrights' Workshop Montreal and Porte Parole.
Upcoming fundraising raffle event with Marc Garneau:
http://www.talisman-theatre.com/2010-event-wr.html
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