4 – A celebration of our seasons
The theme for this semester is 4 – A celebration of our seasons. Whereas the previous themes Pétcudiac and Resurgo Redux focused on the history of our community, and Hey! We live in a Diverse Community focused on the present day, 4 will be focused on the beautiful and varied environment of the region. According to school director Tim Borlase, “the goal is to show our appreciation of our land by creating a collective piece of theatre that presents the beauty and feeling of an entire year’s cycle in the Moncton area. As more and more Canadians arrive in our communities, this theme will show the rhythms of the seasons and how aboriginal cultures in NB created a culture and lifestyle that related to them. It will also show how adaptations became modified as new people settled in the region.”

A curriculum made for all ages
The school’s curriculum focuses on the Department of Education interwoven themes of creation, appreciation and performances. Students are led through stimulating journeys in improvisation, storytelling, script analysis, characterization, voice production, movement and mime.

The Rising Stars class is for children in grades 3-5 (Feb 4-April 28, $240); On Stage is for children in grades 6-8 (February 4-April 28, $300). For those who want to work in video, The Creators – Camera! Action! will give you the tools. This class will take place from February 6 to May 1 ($300). The Master Class (Grades 9-Adult) will help the students bust out of their 9-5 job and delve into the world of drama! For students with theatrical experience who wish to further hone their skills, they can audition for Encore! People from grade 8 teenagers to adults are accepted in this class ($310). It will start on February 7 and end on May 1st ($310). There is an additional opportunity for adults in the form of short courses in directing, technical production, playwriting and clown for people. These workshops are $100 and are offered according to participants’ availability.

There is a discount available for early registrations (10% before January 21), seniors, post-secondary students and teachers (20%). There is also a 30% for a second family member based on the lower tuition fee. A bursary for each class is provided for those who have an interest in theatre but limited financial means.

More information as well as a registration sheet is available at www.capitol.nb.ca. People may also contact Tim Borlase, Director or Lynne Surette at 506-383-6200 or tim@capitol.nb.ca lynne@capitol.nb.ca for further details.

Just in time for Valentine's Day! "A Taste of Chocolate" happens Saturday February 11th in Miramichi.

Hospice Miramichi Presents: “A Taste of Chocolate”
By Cindy Rule

If you love chocolate, laughing, music and helping out in your community, then there’s a good chance that you’ll be heading to the Rodd Miramichi River on Saturday February 11th, 2012 at 7pm.

“A Taste of Chocolate” is returning to the Rodd as a fundraiser for Hospice Miramichi. Below is some information about Hospice Miramichi from their website:

“Hospice Miramichi is a non-profit volunteer organization and was established in March 2011. The focus of hospice care is on comfort not cure, and on life not death. Hospice Miramichi is seeking to raise awareness of the unique needs of those who are living with life threatening illnesses where cure is not an option and medications are no longer controlling the illness. Hospice Miramichi will work within the community by providing services and support for clients and families within their homes. Our volunteers will be trained to provide practical and emotional support during the end stages of life and through the grieving process.

Our plan is to bring hospice to Miramichi in three (3) stages. First, the establishment of a Hospice Outreach Program, where in- home support services will be offered to assist palliative patients and their families live the remainder of their lives to the fullest extent possible. The second stage of our plan will be the addition of a Hospice Day Program. The third stage of our plan is to establish a Residential Hospice (RH) in Miramichi within the next 3-4 years.”

Turning this much needed organization into reality requires community help and “A Taste of Chocolate” is just one of the fundraisers that Hospice Miramichi will be presenting this year. They are hoping the turnout at these events will reflect the huge amount of support the Miramichi community and beyond has already shown Hospice Miramichi.

Along with mountains of delicious chocolate desserts (and non-chocolate treats if chocolate isn’t your thing), you will be treated to an original one act play written by yours truly, Cindy Rule, called “Defining Love.” Lisa Savage, Jason Blanchard and I will entertain you as we take you through the different stages of love; from childhood crushes to finding that special someone, we believe the play is filled with moments everyone can relate to.

The evening will also include music by Connie and Paul as well as an Arm’s Length Auction, Cake Auction and a 50/50 draw.

So, once again, the event details are …

Hospice Miramichi Presents
A Taste of Chocolate
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 7pm at the Rodd Miramichi River.
Featuring the Crule Players in the original one act play
“Defining Love.”
And the music of Connie and Paul
Tickets are $25 and are available at Saltwater Sounds, Bill’s Quik Way and The Books Inn.

For more information about this event please call (506)625-2153. Or email info@HospiceMiramichi.com. For more information about Hospice Miramichi please go to www.hospicemiramichi.com

Thank-you for your support and we hope to see you there!

Beauty and the Beast cast

The Capitol Theatre presents the young audience production of Beauty and the Beast by the DuffleBag Theatre Company, on Tuesday, December 27 at 7 p.m. The “Nearly World-Famous” DuffleBag Theatre brings the classic fairytale of Beauty and the Beast to life in their signature fun-filled and humorous fashion: using audience members as the stars!

Beauty and the Beast
When an egotistical, arrogant prince unkindly turns an old woman from his castle door on a dark and stormy night, he is taught a lesson in caring more about others than for himself. For his rudeness, the old woman magically transforms him into a “Horrible, Nasty Beast!” who is forced to hide in his castle, away from humanity, and care for an enchanted rose.

The Beast only begins to change his ways when he encounters Beauty, a daring young girl from the nearby village, who stumbles across his castle while searching for her missing father in the forest. Beauty finds her father has been imprisoned by the Beast for harming his enchanted rose. Determined to gain his freedom, Beauty suggests that she take his place instead. Impressed by Beauty’s noble self-sacrifice, the Beast frees her father– but instead of keeping Beauty as a prisoner, he invites her to be his guest. During her stay, she realizes that the Beast is not as bad as he appears, and she brings his good qualities to the forefront. When her father returns to free her with the help of Gaston de la Fromage, the notorious “beast-vanquisher,” everyone discovers that there might be some beauty in the Beast after all!

DuffleBag Theatre Company
Since 1992, audiences across Canada, the United States, and internationally in countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, and Vietnam, children and adults alike have been enchanted and enthralled by the wit, clever stagecraft, energetic performances, and audience interaction of a DuffleBag Theatre performance. When the audience is the star, everyone’s dream of living a fairy tale can come true with the “Nearly World-Famous” DuffleBag Theatre!

Box office
Tickets for DuffleBag Theatre’s Beauty and the Beast are now on sale at the Capitol Theatre Box Office, l’Escaouette, Frank’s Music, Monument Lefebvre, Dieppe Arts and Culture Centre and l’Université de Moncton, at $13.50 (adults) and $5.50 (12 and under) plus applicable charges. Tickets are also available by phone at (506) 856-4379 or 1-800-567-1922, or online at www.capitol.nb.ca.

Children at their desks in the Mountain School.

When my mother was a girl she would walk up the road every weekday morning with her siblings and friends to the old Mountain School, a traditional one-room schoolhouse in Gray Rapids on the Miramichi River in New Brunswick. I’ve grown up listening to stories of how children of all ages and grades learned their lessons from a single teacher in one not so very large room, before they were finally sent by bus to the new consolidated school in Blackville. Times were very different back then from when I was growing up and attending the same Blackville School starting in the late 1970′s until I graduated in 1987.

I’ve always wondered what it might have been like to have gone to a little one-room schoolhouse and now, thanks to my aunt and Mom’s sister Valerie Stewart, I need not wonder any longer. Valerie has written a play called “A Mountain School Christmas” which the Heritage Players will perform in a dinner theatre next Friday evening, December 2nd, at the Miramichi Kin Centre in Newcastle as a fundraiser for the Nelson Doyle Dancers to help them raise money for a trip to Ireland.

One teacher, played by Christina Donovan, undertakes the teaching of the entire schoolhouse.

Recently I had the opportunity to attend a dress rehearsal of the upcoming performance and based on how much I laughed and enjoyed the few scenes I got to see I’m now very much looking forward to enjoying a traditional turkey dinner with dessert while I get to take a trip back in the past and immerse myself in the full one-room schoolhouse experience during the production next week. Plus the Nelson Doyle Dancers will be on hand to perform as well, which is always a special treat I enjoy and look forward to ever since I first saw these talented girls at an Irish Festival several years ago.

This is going to be a must see event on the river, so grab your tickets if you haven’t already! For more information the official press release follows below.

Dinner Theatre in Miramichi to Raise Funds for Trip to Ireland

What will happen when one overbearing mother, played by Dorinda Glover, visits the tiny schoolhouse?

The Nelson Doyle Dancers and the Heritage Players have joined forces to present a dinner theatre, “A Mountain School Christmas”, on Friday, December 2, 2011 at the Miramichi Kin Centre starting at 6pm. The evening will include a traditional turkey dinner with dessert, the premiere of the Heritage Players latest production and a performance by the Nelson Doyle Dancers. Tickets cost $25 and are available at Books Inn, Renous Convenience, the Blackville Post Office, by calling Hollie at 627-0181 or Valerie at 843-2849.

At the 2011 Miramichi Irish Festival, the Nelson Doyle Dancers were invited to Ireland by former Mayor of Monaghan, Willie McKenna. The group is slated to leave on August 7, 2012 for a ten day trip which will include performing at various venues and events in and around Monaghan. “The dinner theatre is one of many fundraisers that we are having as we have to cover the cost of our trip. We are very pleased by the support we have received thus far and thank everyone for their generosity,” says Hollie Sturgeon, one of the event organizers.

The Heritage Players cast of children star in "A Mountain School Christmas".

“A Mountain School Christmas” is the latest work from Heritage Players’ playwright, Valerie Stewart. When approached by The Nelson Doyle Dancers to write a play, Stewart did not hesitate since her granddaughter, Nora Sturgeon, belongs to the group. “My other play “Grammy Grace” had been well received so I volunteered to write the play, and to direct it as well, a new experience for me,” says Stewart. “The play is set in a one-room school in 1960. It takes place in Gray Rapids, but it could be in any of the one-room schools any where in rural N.B. during the late 50s or early 60s. Unlike Grammy Grace which was mostly true, this play is entirely fictional. Some of my former schoolmates may see themselves in the characters but this is coincidental. I am certain everyone will enjoy the play because there are funny parts, sad parts and lots of singing and audience involvement.” Besides Stewart as the director, the cast includes Emily McCabe, Noah Donovan, Nicole Nash, Nick Hallihan, Sarah Manderville, Laura Sturgeon, Christina Donovan, Dorinda Glover, Jeff Wilson, Bernie Colepaugh and Tammy Manderville.

Both Sturgeon and Stewart encourage everyone to purchase their tickets early as they anticipate a sold out show. “The Nelson Doyle Dancers are wonderful ambassadors for the Miramichi. It is a great honor for the dancers to be asked to go to Ireland and we all should be proud of them,” says Stewart.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR:

Original, preferably unproduced, scripts by Atlantic Canadian playwrights. We will consider plays with any tone or subject matter. We tend to favour plays with small casts and straightforward production requirements.

You may submit a script in progress, but do not send proposals, summaries, or excerpts; we require a complete draft to evaluate your submission properly.

As a co-operative, we exercise collective artistic input with all our projects. Playwrights should bear this artistic spirit in mind, and should be open to having CBSC artists contribute to script development after their plays have been selected for production, although playwrights will retain final authority over their scripts.

Playwrights whose scripts we produce will receive royalty payments of 10% box office gross. Minimum payment guarantees will depend upon project grant funding.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

Submissions may be emailed (Word or PDF format preferred) to info@capestage.ca. Please include “Script Search” in your email’s subject heading. You may also mail your script to the following address. If you want your script returned, please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

Cape Breton Stage Company
142 Cabot Street
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Canada
B1P 4E1

You must also include:
Your contact information (email, mailing address,phone number)
A brief bio (100 words).
If your script is still in progress, a description of your plans for future development.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: July 30, 2011.

Le Pays de la Sagouine welcomes a new artistic director, Luc LeBlanc. Well known as the actor who has embodied the role of Citrouille for a number of years, Mr. LeBlanc is delighted to be able to contribute in a new way to the world of l’Île-aux-Puces: “Le Pays de la Sagouine is an ongoing love story for me… a place for the fantastic, an outstanding team, and a sincere and loyal audience. It just wasn’t possible to say no to this new adventure as artistic director… As Citrouille says this year, ‘the sky’s the limit!’”

The Acadian Kitchen Party Experience
Regular presentations in English will be held in good Acadian kitchen party style every day at 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm (hours may vary). Learn about Acadian culture through its history, past and present! With the help of our fiddler, we’ll even show you how to play the spoons in our engaging kitchen parties! For those with a sweet tooth, you’ll get to taste one of our famous Acadian desserts! The perfect occasion to discover the Acadian joie de vivre!

Four decades that have marked the Acadian imagination
The most famous character of Acadian popular culture first appeared 40 years ago. Played by Viola Léger and brought to life by the writer Antonine Maillet, La Sagouine is celebrating her 40^th anniversary this year. On July 24^th, we’re celebrating in style! An evening paying tribute to La Sagouine will be held in “le pays” that bears her name; as part of the tribute, a wine and cheese will take place at l’Ordre du Bon Temps Restaurant starting at 7 pm. Tickets cost $25.

From July 14^th, the new dinner theatre La Sagouine et le temps (La Sagouine 40 ans plus tard / La Sagouine 40 Years Later) with Viola Léger (text by Antonine Maillet) will begin its run (in French only). The play also features Denise Bouchard in the role of Mariaagélas and Luc LeBlanc in the role of Citrouille. It will be presented Thursdays and Fridays up to August 19^th at l’Ordre du Bon Temps. Tickets cost $53.

La Sagouine (in English)
All summer long, the public can enjoy evenings at Le Pays de la Sagouine with a delicious meal and a play during its famous dinner theatre. Not to be missed, La Sagouine (in English), is back. After 40 years on the stage, the character is certainly the most famous and enduring Acadian theatre phenomenon. The Acadian cleaning woman is sure to make the public laugh; she takes the stage on Sundays starting July 10^th through August 28^th (with the exception of Sunday, July 24^th). Other dinner theatres on the 2011 menu include: Un drôle de mariage (in French only) on Wednesdays and Saturdays from July 13^th to the 30^th and La Foire aux puces (in French only) on Wednesdays and Saturdays from August 3^rd to the 27^th. Dinner theatres are presented at l’Ordre du Bon Temps Restaurant (all tickets are $53). The shows start at 7 pm with the doors opening at 6:30 pm.

Something New at Le Pays!
This year, the family of l’Île-aux-Puces welcomes new actors and characters who know how to entertain with their colourful stories. Audience members are invited to meet the “gossipeuses” (in other words, people who like to gossip) and storytellers, who can help members better understand the wonderful world of Antonine Maillet. A new house band, Vieux Temps, will take the stage and make you swing to the Acadian rhythms of the good old times. Every day, audience members can tap their feet to the rhythms of Vieux Temps or of the group Les Cotchineux. Something else not to be missed: the gift shop of Le Pays has a new look, the perfect opportunity to find Acadian souvenirs to suit all tastes.

A New Play: C’t’un texte du Pays !,
Le Pays de la Sagouine is making room for new Acadian playwrights. C’t’un texte du Pays !, a play by Agathe Marie and Jenny Ferguson, will be presented at Le Hangar on Tuesdays from July 19^th to August 16^th at 8 pm. On stage: the characters of Florence and Marguerite à Pote played by the two playwrights. Tickets cost $15.

For the Kids!
Little kids can also join in the festivities at Le Pays de la Sagouine. On Saturday, July 9^th, they can sing with Roland and Monsieur Crapaud. Children and their parents are expected at l’Ordre du Bon Temps from 11 am. Tickets are already on sale for $10. On August 20^th, a very special presentation: the kids’ play Peigne… était une fois (Peigne… once upon a time). In the program: laughs, songs, and discoveries. The text and production are by Robert Gauvin and André Roy, with original music by Pierre-Guy Blanchard. Presented in collaboration with the Productions l’Entrepôt, the play will be shown exclusively at Le Pays de la Sagouine. Tickets are also on sale for $10.

Music at Le Pays!
On July 8^th, make room for musical evenings! On Fridays from July 8^th to the 29^th, as well as from August 5^th to the 26^th, Frolic Alpine will take over l’Île-aux-Puces starting at 9 pm (for those who are 19 years old and older). Appearing on stage are Jérémie Goguen, Hert LeBlanc, Louis Cormier, Paul Hébert, Maurice Belliveau, Rhéal LeBlanc, Freddy & Stéphane Daigle, and Réveil. Tickets are on sale only at the door for $8 for members and $10 for others. Every Friday from July 8^th to August 26^th, don’t miss evenings with local artists on La terrasse of l’Ordre du Bon Temps Restaurant from 5 pm to 8 pm. An opportunity to see and hear: Scott & Gerald, Daniel Goguen, Marc Babin, Serge LeBlanc, Richard Bourque, Mario Doiron, and Raymond Savoie. Admission is free!

Special Events in 2011
On Sunday, July 3^rd, the public is invited to an open house day, in collaboration with the Vestiaire Saint-Jean Baptiste (food bank) in Bouctouche. Admission is free. We encourage the public to make a donation or bring non-perishable food items. On August 15^th, Le Pays de la Sagouine is the place to be to celebrate Acadians’ National Holiday! Activities are planned for the entire day, including a Tintamarre at 3 pm and music in the evening with such big names in Acadian music as country star George Belliveau and the party band Tradition!

Acadian Culinary Delights
People can treat themselves to an Acadian buffet with savoury traditional meals at l’Ordre du Bon Temps Restaurant, Wednesdays to Saturdays, from July 13^th to August 20^th, between 11 am and 2 pm ($12.95). Sundays are the perfect occasion to have a meal with family and friends, and try the Restaurant’s famous Acadian brunch ($14.95) available from June 26^th to September 4^th, between 10 am and 2 pm. For something to eat between two presentations on l’Île-aux-Puces, make your way to the Paneterie, open every day from 10 am to 5:30 pm.

Le Pays de la Sagouine is located at 57 Acadie Street in Bouctouche, New Brunswick. It’s open to the public from June 26 to September 4, 2011, 9:30 am to 5:30 pm. Le Pays is open from September 5^th to the 11^th for guided tours of l’Île-aux-Puces only, at 11 am and 1:30 pm. For more information on the various activities and how to purchase tickets, visit www.sagouine.com or call 1-800-561-9188.

Running April 14th-16th at the Fredericton Playhouse, Les Misérables will be presented at 8pm each night, with an additional 2pm matinee on the 16th. This is TNB Theatre School’s most ambitious project to date, with 40 student cast members from the Fredericton area and across the province. The students have received direction throughout the year from TNB Theatre School Director Tania Breen. As Breen notes, “I have watched with amazement as our talented students take on this epic challenge. They have, as always, exceeded my expectations!” Breen has also been impressed with the talented production and creative teams assembled, including Alex Good as Orchestra and Musical Director, for a show that has produced some of the greatest musical theatre songs of all time.

Les Misérables is a daunting production, with a huge cast and difficult musical numbers. Breen knew instinctively, however, that this was the year to rise to the challenge. “With the 25th anniversary of the musical being celebrated across the globe, we wanted it to be honoured in New Brunswick as well. This is TNB Theatre School’s most ambitious project to date, but one that we were prepared for. With school enrollment reaching an all-time high of 400 students, we had the immense talent needed to pull it off with flying colours.”

Tickets are on sale now! Call the box office at (506) 458-8344 or toll-free at 1-866-884-5800. Tickets can also be purchased online by clicking HERE

Adults $25 | McCain Student Tickets only $10

For more information on Theatre New Brunswick Theatre School and our summer 2011 programs, click HERE

Special thanks to the McCain Student Ticket Program, the City of Fredericton and The Stephen Graham Bird Trust.

Hockey Dreams premieres March 17th at The Fredericton Playhouse and runs until March 20th. It will also be presented at Saint John’s Imperial Theatre on March 24th and at Moncton’s Capitol Theatre March 25th.

Hockey Dreams is a world premiere event written by David Adams Richards and adapted with and directed by Caleb Marshall. This stage adaptation of Richards’ memoir follows little Stafford Foley and his quest to be in the NHL, have his own rink, or even just play at all. Some of his friends will make the “all-stars” while others, like Michael, have to abandon childhood; through it all, they still cling to the dream. Hockey Dreams is a coming of age story that will speak to Canadians of all ages.

Regardless of where you see the play, you might just recognize some of Hockey Dreams’ “all-stars.” Marshall searched the province to make Hockey Dreams a “truly New Brunswick project. I am very pleased with the exceptionally talented local cast we have assembled.”

Shawn Wright (Hometown: Saint John, NB) Hockey Dreams stars Shawn Wright as David, an adult reliving his youth on the Miramichi rinks in the 1960s. Wright is a veteran theatre actor, having done extensive work at both the Stratford and Shaw Festivals. He most recently played a starring role in Jersey Boys, and has several TV and film credits to his name.

Jacob Grant LeBlanc (Hometown: Fredericton, NB) Fredericton locals might just recognize this 10 year old, who is taking on the challenging role of Stafford, a delicate boy who struggles with health issues and his love of the game. Jacob brings his hockey skills to the table as the captain of the Fredericton DQ Stars, and has honed his acting skills with TNB Theatre School and Christmas @theplayhouse.

Alessandro Costantini (Hometown: Sudbury, ON) Alessandro is an 18 year old with a lifelong love of acting and hockey. He plays Michael in Hockey Dreams, a tough and lively boy who gives much of himself to ensure his grandmother and brother are cared for. Alessandro has done extensive theatre, television, and film work across Canada and played a principal role in the Sticks and Stones hockey film shot in Fredericton. TNB is thrilled to invite him back to New Brunswick for this world premiere production.

Robbie Lynn (Hometown: Fredericton, NB) Another Fredericton native, Robbie is no stranger to TNB Theatre School, playing roles in both Alice in Wonderland and Guys and Dolls. This 15 year old attends Fredericton High School and has played hockey since the age of 5. In Hockey Dreams, Robbie will play Lorrie, the local bully who steals Stafford’s puck.

Marley Kingston (Hometown: Bay du Vin, NB) Marley has the distinction of being the only female to appear on stage during the Hockey Dreams production. In an instance of life imitating art, Marley grew up in the Miramichi region, just like the characters in Hockey Dreams. She has also grown up “playing hockey with the boys,” much like Ginette, the fiery and kind girl she will portray in the production. Marley has a wide variety of acting and dance experience and is a student at James M. Hill High School in Miramichi.

Nicholas Lindsay (Hometown: Saint John, NB) Nicholas is a 14 year old, ninth grade student at Saint John High School. He has plenty of stage experience in drama clubs and with the InterAction Children’s Theatre. Nicholas takes on the role of Stafford’s “all-star” brother Darren.

Charles Gillespie (Hometown: Dieppe, NB) Hailing from the Moncton region, Charles is a five year veteran of the Capitol Theatre School. This 12 year old will tackle the character of Garth, a funny and sly boy who is Stafford’s sneaky nemesis. Charles is a student at Carrefour de l’Acadie, a middle school in Dieppe.

Darius Buddington (Hometown: Toronto, ON) Darius has packed a great deal of acting experience into his short 10 years, and TNB is thrilled to invite him to the stages of New Brunswick. He has had roles in several films, television series, commercials, and print advertising, including Da Kink in My Hair and Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium. He is also an avid hockey player who will take on the role of Tobias, Michael’s half brother, who is a poor boy growing up on the Miramichi.

Peter Ball (Hometown: Fredericton, NB) Peter is no stranger to TNB, and we are thrilled to welcome him to the stage for the world premiere of Hockey Dreams. Peter is a member of TNB Theatre School, and also starred in a television commercial for the 2010 Main Stage production of Treasure Island. Peter will play several parts in Hockey Dreams, and also has the unique challenge of understudying Jacob for the role of Stafford Foley. Peter is an 11 year old student at George Street Middle School in Fredericton.

Hockey Dreams is already being lauded by playwright Norm Foster as “funny and touching. Real Canadiana.” Actor/comedian Marshall Button notes that Hockey Dreams offers “a cast of unforgettable characters [that] transport you to a time of innocence, hard times, and unrequited dreams.” Renowned artist Herménégilde Chiasson notes that “this play is about hockey but also about soul… we need more stories like this one to get a sense of who we are.” Indeed, Hockey Dreams will offer something for everyone: a homegrown coming of age story mixed with the nostalgia of our national game, all brought together for the stage. It is a story for every Canadian young and old, and will evoke vivid memories of what it meant to grow up in New Brunswick in the 1960s and, ultimately, what it meant to be small with big dreams.

For more information visit TNB’s website www.tnb.nb.ca

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 31^st to June 5^th. 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.

La Sagouine was presented for the first time in 1971. She is the wife of a fisherman and, at 72 years old, scrubs floors for a living. She tells us stories in her own way, speaking of life in general, politics, and poverty with great wisdom and a wonderful sense of humour.

La Sagouine back in her hometown!

La Sagouine is back in her hometown. As every summer, the Dinner Theatre La Sagouine will be presented at Le Pays de la Sagouine in Bouctouche, New Brunswick. For the first time in many years, presentations in English will take place in July and August. Presentations in French are also on the schedule. Le Pays de la Sagouine kicked off its 2010 season on June 20^th. More information at www.sagouine.com.

Sherry Smith (left) and Marguerite McNeill in a scene from Dan McIvor’s Confession, playing at Live Bait Theatre in Sackville NB, Oct. 15-17.

Confession, last year’s new play by award–winning Canadian dramatist Dan McIvor, opens a whirlwind 3-day run at Sackville’s Live Bait Theatre tonight at 8 pm.

“This is the second in our October mini-series of three fresh, exciting, Maritime plays,” explains Live Bait’s Artistic Director, Karen Valanne.  “Sheldon Currie’s touching comedy, Lauchie, Liza and Rory, played to enthusiastic playgoers from across the central Maritimes at the beginning of the month and we fully expect that trend to continue.”

Confession has been described as a play about who we were, who we are and what we will become. The action takes place both in the present moment and in the past memories of three characters who, by sharing their secrets, discover how much alike they really are: Kit, the daughter, outspoken, funny and rebellious at 21; Kath, the mother, somewhat sardonic and bitter in her 40’s; and Kitty, the old lady who tries to piece together the puzzle that is her life by finding a way to confess her greatest failing.

The script combines monologues delivered to the audience and dialogue between the characters as they struggle to know the story they share and how they will tell it. In the end it is the unity of these three very different women, the coming together of their diverging voices, that reveals the truth about them.

Interpreting the roles are three talented performers: the luminous Margaret Smith as Kit; Shaw Festival veteran Sherry Smith as Kath; and the internationally recognized film and stage actress, Marguerite McNeil, as Kitty.

Confession is a Mulgrave Road Theatre production, directed by Ann-Marie Kerr and designed by Andrew Murray and Ingrid Risk.  The Guysborough NS company commissioned McIvor to write the work, which he has revised extensively since its premiere in the fall of 2008.  After the Sackville engagement, October 15-17, the tour will continue to Sydney and Halifax.

Further information and reservations may be obtained by calling the Live Bait Theatre box office at (506) 536-2248.