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FRINGE 2015: Icepick-moé l’coeur
On June 9th, we spoke to Ghislain St-Germain Forcier and Emmanuelle Brousseau at the lovely Bela Vista, a family-owned Portuguese bakery located at the corner of Papineau and Beaubien.
Ghislain is 24-year-old French Literature student at L’Univesité de Montréal. Emmanuelle is 21, and studies Production at L’École Nationale de Théâtre/National Theatre School of Canada (NTS). Together they wrote “Icepick-moé l’coeur” (Icepick), a drama about two ex-lovers that can’t quite seem to let each other go. Emmanuelle is the director of the play.
Read more to see our conversation, translated into English from the original French-language interview.
Frantz: So Ghislain and Emmanuelle …
Ghislain & Emmanuelle: Yessir!
Frantz: How did you meet each other?
Emmanuelle: We both went to Cegep de Trois-Rivières studying Literature.
Ghislain: It was a small program. We had all our courses together for the entire two years. We even ended up forming a clique of 10 friends who all moved to Montreal together two years ago.
Frantz: Which one of you is at the Conservatory and which one is at UdeM (L’Univesité de Montréal)?
Emmanuelle: Well actually, I’m at the National Theatre School of Canada (NTS). It’s our only play that is presented at the Conservatory (Studio Multimédia du Conservatoire).
Frantz: I’m sorry, I really had a hard time finding any info on (your production company), lAntithèse...
Emmanuelle: It’s normal, it was a production that was put together for the Fringe (Festival). We’ll see about it’s future. I’ll probably change the name.
Frantz: You were saying you both studied in Literature, what got you interested in that field?
Emmanuelle: I went into Literature to explore writing and cinema. These days, I have less time for literary stuff since we’re looking more at sound and video production right now at the school (NTS). Icepick is a return to writing for me, and that’s something I’ve missed. When I think about it, I write way more than I read (laughs). I use to read way more before.
Ghislain: You need to be a good reader to learn how to write. But I guess we have the right background for that sort of thing. I really like the whole storytelling aspect of Literature as well as how it tries to reveal all those taboos we try to slip under the rug. It helps us, not necessarily to catharsis, but to see what’s coming ahead and prepare accordingly. Perhaps my small contribution to Icepick was with that purpose in mind.
Emmanuelle: At the beginning, "Icepick" was fragments of both our poetry that we tried to match and harmonize.
Frantz: Yes, you two are both credited as playwrights, how did the co-writing work out?
Emmanuelle: (laughs)
Ghislain: It’s a month-and-a-half of each of us on our own end, writing and then crunch time for the Fringe. It’s been an intense writing session after intense writing session, in coffee shops, the living room…
Emmanuelle: In the basement! (laughs)
Ghislain: Yup, writing everywhere, a million annotations and trying to make this a coherent thing and not just a stream of thought.
Frantz: So "Icepick" is definitely a narrative…
Ghislain: We played with the chronology and other elements a bit to make sure it stayed true to its poetic roots. But it is definitively a narrative.
Frantz: Why that title?
Emmanuelle: Why “Icepick-moé l’coeur” ? 'Cause I like a strong title - the kind that you see first when you scan through a theatrical pamphlet. We had the title (ready) almost before we had the show.
Ghislain: You came up with the title while we were discussing about taboos and punchy images. One of our teachers used to say: “Theater is not a glass of water, it’s a shot of vodka”.
“Icepick” is that very shot. It’s a strong visual title with a taste that stays in your throat.
Frantz: What flavor of slush would best describe your show?
Ghislain: Windshield washer, it’ll survive at – 40°.
Emmanuelle: (laughs) “Icepick-moé l’coeur” is an eye catcher and happens to be a bilingual title.
Frantz: Is the the play bilingual?
Emmanuelle: No, it’s all in French.
Ghislain: From what I understand the directing and visuals are truly something to behold, but you need strong bases in French to understand what’s going on.
Frantz: How did your academical parcourt influence this production?
Ghislain: I think in our press kit, there is a section about coming (to the show) to have fun with Sharon Stone …
Emmanuelle: In our segment at the Fringe-for-All, we invited people to scream their love of mountain climbing and Sharon Stone.
Ghislain: We had to make a reference to “Basic Instinct”. And that’s one thing that my background in Cinema – what I was studying in University before switching to Literature – really ingrained in me: intertextuality.
Wow, that’s a mouthful. We also integrated classics from Quebec musical culture in the text.
Frantz: So we can expect those classics to play during the show?
Emmanuelle: Actually, it is all an original soundtrack by Andréa Marsolais-Roy, who is in the same Class as me in Production. She was at the Conservatory of Music (at the NTS) before that and graduated with a Masters in Electro-Acoustic Composition. She’s an expert, making for us an incredible Original Soundtrack.
Frantz: So how big is your team?
Emmanuelle: Where about 10 people total, including two actors, all at the NTS right now, except for Ghislain.
There’s Benjamin at graphic design, Mathieu for lighting, Elsa as our Director of Production, Francis as our Technical Director, Mélanie for costumes, props, decor and choreography…
Frantz: How about the actors?
Ghislain: There was a total of six or seven actors that were interested.
Emmanuelle: Patrice stood out from its first audition.
Ghislain: He communicated from the get-go that he was ready to get truly involved.
Emmanuelle: Elisabeth quickly grew on us. And she’s the perfect match for the role.
Frantz: Why the Fringe?
Emmanuelle: 'Cause applications were open and I needed to create something (for the festival).
Ghislain: I was charmed by the whole “ludique” (i.e. carefree and playful) aspect of it all; and the fact that it is a lottery, anyone and everyone can end up there.
Frantz: What show would you recommend at the Fringe?
Ghislain: “Die Mutter” and “SHY SHY IN SPACE”
Emmanuelle: “In fur wrapped” from Farouche Factory, our comrades from the NTS
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“Icepick-moé l’coeur” premieres at the Fringe on Saturday June 13th, 5:15pm at the Studio Multimédia du Conservatoire. Learn more on this play by visiting their Fringe Festival Page here.
Frantz-Patrice Séïde Cameau is part of CJLO’s Official Fringe Team covering the sights and sounds from the 2015 St-Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival.
You can contact Frantz by via email: lobster.mtl@gmail.com
Photo credit: Graph Design by Benjamin Lamingo, who designed the poster for this show.
Special thanks to Joana Cumo (of Je Suis TBA / Charts and Crafts) for providing additional help for this piece.
FRINGE 2015: A Nightmare for Oberon
A Nightmare for Oberon asks the question “what happens when Shakespeare's women collide?”
Written by Toronto-born Concordia student Julie Foster, the script is the strongest part of the production. The worlds of Faerie Queen Titania, Hamlet's Ophelia, and the Lady Macbeth collide in a magical forest, and through the lens of Shakespeare we are presented arguments around gender, sexuality and femininity.
While the story is strong and compelling, the actors seemed to lack a true emotional connection to the text. In her opening monologue, Ophelia cries out “Cut me, make me bleed!” but her words are not connected to any kind of true emotional turmoil.
While the idea behind the play seems to be an honest look at raw female emotion, there is a lack of true vulnerability in the performances. This seems to be a re-occurring problem in a lot of theatre. Audiences are no longer interested in representational acting and are impatiently waiting for the teachers at arts institutions to get the memo. Or maybe I just don't 'get' theatre?
The script, though strong, does have room for more development. Either the writer, director, or both, seemed to be unsure if this play was a comedy or a drama. Nadia Verrucci brought the strongest emotional connection to her portrayal of Lady Macbeth, but whenever the character appeared the mood of the play changed dramatically, making her look out of place. There were meek attempts at physical comedy which have room for much more development, and more emotional truths could turn this play into a true “dramedy”.
I would recommend this show to anyone who is a fan of Shakespeare's works, especially any of these three characters, but also, to anyone interested in the future of Canadian theatre. The work is an accomplishment for Julie Foster, who shows great talent as a writer and has a passion for creating interesting parts for women.
Presented by Hopegrown Productions, A Nightmare for Oberon plays at the Rialto Theatre Piccolo at 5723 ave. du Parc (Venue OFF-E) until June 20th 2015 at the following times:
- 8:30pm – Every weekday (Monday to Friday)
- 2:30pm – Every weekend (Saturday and Sunday) except June 17th.
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Sarah Stupar is part of CJLO's Official Fringe Team covering the sights and sounds from the 2015 St-Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival.
She also hosts Best of The West every Thursday afternoon from 2 - 3pm, only on 1690AM in Montreal and online at CJLO.com.
Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @somegirl514.
FRINGE 2015: APigeon at Le Divan Orange
Montreal’s own Annie Sama (alias APigeon) brought her tour to an end at Le Divan Orange on Saturday June 6th, in support of her 2014 debut album “APigeon is Born”.
The electricity was tangible in the air as patrons milled into the venue on a deceptively long spring evening, as the very last of the sun absorbed by the window faded into darkness. Perhaps it was a shared subconscious anticipation for the summer, or the volatile cosmic combination of Mercury in retrograde and a Sagittarius moon that made APigeon's innovative sound particularly potent that evening.
She fuses electronic, pop and folk conventions, producing highly cinematic, and heartfelt melodies and soundscapes. “Bienvenue a mon univers (Welcome to my universe)”, she humbly proclaimed to the crowd as she took to the stage.
Her vocals effortlessly soared and somersaulted over the synth-laden cinematic instrumentation, boundlessly harmonizing the entire way, and her live performance added a visceral, affective quality that could never captured by a studio recording, amplified by the intimacy of Le Divan Orange, entrancing the crowd deep within the dark bowels of the venue.
She immerses herself in her own diegetic world punctuating the airwaves with wild yelps as her graceful body movements sway with the synth-laden instrumental breaks. The band’s sound manages to reconcile a sense of antiquity with the near future, combining primal vocal melodies and drumming that have resonated through millennia and rendering them unfamiliar with modern production.
Not a single iPhone back light was seen, nor conversation heard among the crowd, as her impressive vocals capable of harnessing all the vulnerability, joy, and sorrow in the world, with exquisite nuance and control, commanded the air waves. Annie announced how special the night was for her, as she gestured to her father who was also in attendance.
The concert culminated in the swift, lighting and distribution of sparklers from patrons in the front row to the back mid-song. APigeon descended into the audience, her flamenco-like gestures illuminated among the faces of the elated crowd, as the sparklers waved with the music.
The show was other-worldly and this author could not have imagined a more fitting performance to inaugurate the unofficial beginning of summer, and the beginning of the festival season.
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APigeon did a live studio session in The Oven on Champions of The Local Scene (Wednesdays 6 - 7pm) with guest host Joana Cumo. You can listen to the episode here, see the playlist, and check out the episode's show preview.
Danilo Bulatovic is part of CJLO’s Official Fringe Team covering the sights and sounds from the 2015 St-Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival.
(Photo credit: Indie Montreal)
News for June 10th, 2015
Mayor Denis Coderre announced Tuesday that the city will increase fines to landlords who fail to provide tenants proper living conditions.
According to CTV News, the move aims to crack down on landlords who refuse to pay the penalties and get away with it through legal negotiations.
Housing activist Maude Begin-Gaudette says the city should instead use other options to make landlords improve the buildings they own- such as issuing warnings or ordering tenants to leave the building.
The city issued a total of 1.5 million dollars in fines but has only received less than half in payment within the past 12 years.
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Manitoba's new First Nations advocate Cora Morgan says Manitoba doesn't treat children in foster care or their families as human.
According to Global News, foster children are being lodged in hotels and stuck in jail without a proper support system.
Morgan also says the province is taking kids in too hastily and that it is too difficult for parents to regain custody of their child.
Manitoba has more than 10 000 children in care, a large portion of whom are aboriginal.
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According to CBC News, investigators believe that David Sweat and Richard Matt received help from other prisoners.
The two inmates had left behind a sticky note in their prison cell with the words “Have a nice day”.
A $100 000 reward will be given to anyone who can provide information leading to their capture.
June 10th, 2015
Hosted by: Catlin Spencer
Stories by: Tom Matukala, Saturn de los Angeles. Patricia Petit-Liang
Produced by: Emeline Vidal
Champions of the Local Scene talks to Unlog: Montreal's newest beat-making label- Wed @ 6pm
Wednesday at 6pm, Champions of the Local Scene will open its door for Montreal's newest hip hop centric, beat-making label: Unlog. With it’s latest compilation Unlog Complex volume 6 on the virtual racks, also known as Bandcamp, we take time to discover the people behind the label as well as their tightly knitted music. Joana from Je Suis TBA hosts, talking to Unlog artists such as Engone Endong and Mourad from CJLO's Stroll Around the Groove. Tune in at 6pm to hear all things Unlog!
The Commonwealth Conundrum Live From Fringe Park: Wed 4 - 6pm
The 3rd annual edition of The Commonwealth Conundrum Show Live at the Montreal Fringe Festival will be direct from the Fringe Park/ Beer Tent (Parc des Ameriques) today (Wednesday) at 4pm! Host Rebecca Munroe (AKA CJLO's very own Fringe Queen) will be speaking with some of the awesome Fringe talent performing this year at the 25th anniversary edition of her favourite festival!!
The lineup is as follows:
16:00: Shirley Gnome : @Real Mature - Shirley Gnomes
16:10: CAPTAIN AURORA: A Superhero Musical! - Trevor Barette
16:20: Happy: What you need to be - Daniel Torchinsky
16:30: Shy Shy In Space - Alexandra Schuller
16:40: Allie Weigh's Inn - Allie Weigh
16:50: Analysis of Failure - Tyler Cannan
17:00: Les kurtettes: Sexe, drogue et Kurt Weill - Sarah Stupar
17:10: La Playlist @ Montréal Fringe: Delphine Véronneau
17:20: The Famous Haydell Sisters Comeback - Sadie Bowman
17:30: Baron Vaudeville on the rocks - Baron
17:35: Cootie Catcher : Lucas Brooks
17:40: SNACK MUSIC at the Montreal Fringe - Ingrid Hansen
17:50: Do I Have To Do Everything my Fucking Self - Reg Vermue (of @Gentlemen Reg and Light Fires ) *photo pictured.
Come one, come all or tune in at CJLO - 1690AM Wednesday 4 - 6pm and #fringebuzz
FRINGE 2015: Je pense donc je suis
On June 8th, we went back stage with Jade Ghalila, director of "Je pense donc je suis”, a few minutes after the Générale devant Public* at La Maison des Amis du Plateau Mont-Royal, a community oriented, non-profit organization. Here is the conversation, translated into English from the original French-language interview.
*Fun fact: Générale devant Public means the dress rehearsal in front of a live theatre audience.
Frantz: How’s the stress level?
Jade: Way lower than at the beginning of the night. The presentation went way better than expected. They were some mistakes here and there, but simply some minor wardrobe malfunctions. Nothing we can’t fix.
Frantz: I thought the play was supposed to last 60 minutes, it was all over in 40.
Jade: Yup, it’s on purpose! I know the play is around 45 minutes, so I reserved an hour at the Fringe to make sure we had some time margin at the start and end of our presentation.
Frantz: Well planned.
Jade: So any other questions?
Frantz: Here I was, believing I’d just enjoy this nice moment with you in silence…What’s your SIN number? Where were you at 8’oclock last night? What are you doing right now?
Jade: (Laughs) last night? I was nowhere in particular. Just at work.
Frantz: Where do you work?
Jade: At a candy shop downtown. Been there since I was 16, so for the past 10 years when I think about it. I know about all the candy in the world!
Frantz: Wow, so you’re basically Candy Girl, giver of joy.
Jade: Yup and in someway it’s related to why I wanted to do a comedy this year. There’s just so much sadness in the world, you know (laughs). That’s no good! People must laugh!
Frantz: That’s what you had in mind when you picked the 5 monologues you’re presenting?
Jade: Definitely! And it’s not because it isn’t sad and heavy that it’s thoughtless. Also, François, the first actor to monologue, plays an excerpt from “Je suis d’un would be pays” from Godin which isn’t a comedy, but fits with the theme.
Frantz: And that’s a play written in the 70’s … No, in 2007. You’re putting on text ranging from Shakespeare to some more contemporary stuff.
Jade: Yup, “Sols” and “La Sagouine” are from the 1970s and then you have Jennifer’s monologue that’s REALLY contemporary.
Frantz: Monologue that was written yesterday or 15 minutes ago.
Jade: (laugh) She’s always changing lines before and during presentation. Changing and mixing. And all of the play is about mixes. We have a English text along French ones. And there’s also a wide scope in the ages and ethnic background of our actors’ line up. I really wanted to make something that was and felt diverse when tackling the subject of identity.
(Jennifer Ilfra, actress and auteur of “Mayo, Bacon, Cheese, Identité”, bursts in the room.)
Jennifer: Sorry to interrupt, but your mom says you have to hurry, Jade.
Jade: She always says that. Come and have a seat.
(Jennifer proceeds and sits down with Jade)
Jade: All this started when I was talking with my best friend Mitsuko and our common friend here, Jennifer. And Jennifer was into writing funny stuff, I asked her to produce something for the Fringe (festival). She would write a text and the other excerpts would be picked in function of that. And every day, until yesterday, she proposed a different text.
Jennifer: I swear I’m done with the editing now. It’s final. Except for the one sentence … But it’s final!
(Everyone laughs)
Jade: So yeah, we were exchanging on how everyone has a distinctive way of dodging when having to present himself at parties and social events …
Jennifer: Personally, I take a deep breath, find something to eat or drink and forget what I was asked about in the first place.
Frantz: That’s really the worst question: “Who are you?”
Jennifer: No, that would be a great question!
Jade: “Who are you” means you can truly speak and go in details. Instead you usually get asked: “What are you doing?” To which you answer: “Hi, I’m Jade and I work in a Candy shop”. Because that particular question generally translates to: “How much do you make?”. “La Sagouine” was chosen to reflect that aspect of the search for identity.
All the monologues work like that. François starts thinking in terms of passports and linguistic barriers between France and Quebec. Koichi answers with the “To Be” by pointing the necessity of taking upon oneself. Joannie comes in with “La Sagouine”.
Philippe discourses on studying and diplomas and social status with “Sols”. Jennifer closes with a particular neologism that well summarizes our thought on the whole issue.
(Jennifer leaves to talk with the venue manager since we were going over the Troupe’s allocated time.)
Frantz: So since we’re so short on time – The killer question! What other show would you recommend at the Fringe?
Jade: “Clara veut être actrice”, which everybody agrees shows great potential. And “Myth Mirrors Punk” which also deals with the question of identity, but through storytelling, which is awesome. That’s why Fringe is so cool, it gives the opportunity to young people to experiment and do stuff for which they’d otherwise fine no venue or exposure.
The bilingual play “Je pense donc je suis” premieres at the St-Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival on Friday, June 12th at the Espace 4001, 4001 Berri Street.
Learn more on this play either by visiting their Fringe Festival Page here, and the play’s official home page managed by Jade and her sister Audrey, over here.
In addition, the troupe in charge of this play, Les Justes d’Albert, is organizing a giant musical chair event at the Fringe Park, called Albert Big Musical Chair, on Friday June 19th. The event includes a mysterious and alluring price for the winner.
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Frantz-Patrice Séïde Cameau is part of CJLO’s Official Fringe Team covering the sights and sounds from the 2015 St-Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival.
You can contact Frantz via email: lobster.mtl@gmail.com
Special thanks to Noémie Monnereau for providing the photographs.
News for June 8th 2015
by Patricia Pett Liang
Police have been carefully patrolling Montreal during the Grand Prix weekend to crack down on prostitution.
According to CBC News, the race weekend is the most popular time of year for sexual tourism in Montreal.
Activists from the feminist organization FEMEN have voiced their concerns over the fair treatment of sex-trade workers during the Grand Prix weekend.
Canada’s new prostitution laws have been in effect since December 2014, making it a criminal act to buy or sell sexual services from another person.
by Saturn De Los Angeles
Wynne says Ottawa's reaction to the report is disappointing, and that the government should do more to correct the damage that has been done.
Small clashes broke out between police and protesters in the Germany where G7 leaders were getting ready to have talks on various topics.
According to the Guardian, demonstrators and rioters tried to break through a police cordon, which lead to various scuffles involving thrown bottles and pepper spray.
A paramedic on the scene stated that many people were taken to the hospital and that about 30 people sustained minor injuries.
Police say that about 4000 protesters were at the event, whereas organizers say there were about 7500.
The G7 summit is a two day gathering, ending on Monday.
Monday June 8th 2015
Hosted by: Danny Aubry
Stories by: Patricia Petit Liang, Saturn De Los Angeles & Tom Matukala
Produced by: I'M BATMAN (Catlin Spencer)
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