La Sagouine (Photo by: Dolores Breau)
La Sagouine, a play featuring one of Acadia’s most famous characters, was recently featured at Toronto’s Pleaides Theatre and enjoyed great success. Penned by Antonine Maillet, La Sagouine is portrayed by Viola Léger who embodies completely this 72 year old shrewd Acadian washerwoman. She presented a series of monologues in front of a Toronto audience asking for more. Theatre critics were full of praise and described La Sagouine as a “national treasure”. The play was presented in English for two weeks at the end of May and in French from May 31st to June 5th. The last time La Sagouine was played in Toronto was in 1979.
Many cultural critics gave a perfect score to Viola Léger in the role that has made her a well-known figure on the Canadian theatre scene. Praises were also given to the team surrounding Léger: Director John Van Bureck, set designer Yannick Larrivée, and lighting director Robert Thompson.
“La Sagouine is a cultural and artistic treasure,” simply states The Globe and Mail. Cultural critic Christopher Hoile of Toronto’s Eye Weekly states: “La Sagouine is simply essential viewing. (…) There really are no words to describe the quiet brilliance of Léger’s performance. You simply cannot imagine anyone else so fully and so compassionately embodying such an immensely rich character.” Robert Crew of the Toronto Star says: “It is, in fact, one of the little gems of Canadian theatre — gritty, honest and utterly true to life. I’ve never seen La Sagouine in French and my feeling is that it would add an extra dimension to what is already a warm, wise and wonderful piece of theatre.” Critics praised the universality and realism of the monologues and gave notice to a solid direction and the glorious lighting. Read more »
Tweet This 
Share on Facebook
Le Pays de la Sagouine is proud to present its 2010 Season. Starting on Sunday, June 20th, the population is invited to join in this Acadian celebration! Not to miss this year: the dinner theatre La Sagouine will be presented in English. On Saturday July 24th, mark your calendar because legendary Acadian band, 1755, will present a mega concert at le Pays de la Sagouine. As every year, various comedians are on the site daily to meet and entertain the public, as well as house bands Borlico and Les Cotchineux. A summer of celebration for all! Read more »
Tweet This Share on Facebook
Antonine Maillet (Photo by Gilles Landry)
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and Améri Ka Productions present the world premiere of Ginette Pellerin’s eagerly awaited documentary Antonine Maillet – Les possibles sont infinis (Antonine Maillet – The Possibilities Are Endless), at 8:00 pm, Wednesday, November 18, at the Capitol Theatre in Moncton. This public event, held in cooperation with the Université de Moncton, marks the 30th anniversary of Maillet winning the Prix Goncourt for her novel Pélagie-la-Charrette. The acclaimed Acadian writer, the only Canadian winner of the prestigious award, will be present at the launch, along with the film’s director and special guests, including Monique Simard, Director General of the NFB French Program, and Yvon Fontaine, Rector of the Université de Moncton. The launch will be followed by free e-cinema screenings of the film between December 1 and 3, in five cities across New Brunswick, as part of Les Rendez-vous de l’ONF en Acadie.
Read more »
Tweet This Share on Facebook
The program for the 13th edition of the FrancoFête en Acadie was announced today and promises an event filled with talented artists and memorable moments. The annual not to be missed event of the arts will take place in Moncton from Wednesday November 4th to Sunday November 8th 2009. On the menu for this year: various showcases, many concerts, the SOCAN Singer Songwriter Circle, and the Oiseaux de nuit concert series.
“Much more than a working event for the cultural industry, the FrancoFête en Acadie is the ideal occasion to discover the best in francophone talent from the Atlantic Provinces and elsewhere in music, dance, theater, etc., explains France H. Levesque, Chair of the FrancoFête en Acadie. It is an extraordinary event showcasing the vitality and the creativity of our artists and a unique rendezvous during which we can honour the work and efforts of our colleagues and all those who evolve in the world of creation and distribution.” Read more »
Tweet This Share on Facebook
Ode à l’Acadie, a new one-hour music special featuring a concert with the amazing Acadian performers of Ode à l’Acadie, premieres Saturday, July 18, at 10pm on CBC Maritimes.
Produced by Halifax-based New Scotland Pictures Inc. in association with CBC Maritimes, the show features Isabelle Thériault, François Émond, Christian KIT Goguen, Benoit Picard, Monique Poirier, Patricia Richard, and Louise Vautour.
Ode à l’Acadie is a celebration of Acadian culture and history. The best Acadian songs of all time have been rearranged and contemporised in a show that is a dazzling blend of music, theatre, cinema, and choreography. These seven exuberant young Acadians are great musicians, entertainers and genuine show people. Their songs tell stories of the Acadians over three centuries. The program is packed with crowd pleasers like the mysterious and dark Marie Caissie, the sublime and powerful Grand-Pré, and Évangéline Acadian Queen, a delightful spoof showing how Longfellow’s heroine has been commercialized in present day Acadia.
Read more »
Tweet This Share on Facebook
From August 8th to 19th 2009 Caraquet’s Old Convent will host Le Violon fantastique, a grandiose multimedia presentation. Inspired by an Acadian legend from the Catherine Jolicoeur Collection, the storyline depicts a bewitched community, a blacksmith who plays music, his eldest daughter, and a stranger with one goal: corrupting them. The Violon fantastique scenario is by Jules Boudreau and Jac Gautreau. The show is part of the “L’Acadie et ses humeurs” section of the official program of the 2009 World Acadian Congress.
Read more »
Tweet This Share on Facebook
Thanks to a partnership with CapAcadie.com, the 2009 World Acadian Congress (WAC) invites Acadians from around the world to register on the new Map of Acadians made available today on the CapAcadie.com and cma2009.ca websites.
As the 2009 WAC approaches, the Map of Acadians is a uniting project for the Acadian people. “Acadians are everywhere, in India, in China, in the United States, in Alberta, in Europe. The Map of Acadians is a way to show where we are, wherever that is,” says 2009 WAC general director, Robert Frenette. “It will be interesting to see how the map, a portrait of the Acadian diaspora, unfolds as days and weeks pass.”
Read more »
Tweet This Share on Facebook
The most renowned Acadian band, 1755, will tour across villages and towns in New Brunswick, plus a few shows in Québec and PEI, from May to October, presenting 21 shows.
The tour, entitled Celebrate 2009, will mark New Brunswick’s 225th anniversary, Acadian flag’s 125th anniversary and the 40th year of existence of New Brunswick’s Official Language Act. This tour occurs exactly 25 years after the group’s last major tour called “100 pour 200” celebrating the Acadian flag’s 100th anniversary and the Province’s 200th.
Read more »
Tweet This Share on Facebook
Arts, culture | Kellie Underhill | 
June 26, 2010 1:59 am | 
Comments (0) 
