En route vers le Festival Fringe d'Ottawa

The fun thing about having a blog means that I can go back an search for things I may have talked about before that I want to bring up again. The annoying thing about having a blog means remembering that you said you were going to do something almost 3 years ago and are only getting around to it now.

Well, better late than never, non?

You did click on the link above right? I'm not going to have to repeat myself, am I?

...

Ok. Fine.

In 2010, I took an acting class in English, but my teacher had me speak most of the dialogue for my scene in French. It was an exercise. Go with it. My teacher thought that the play I was working sounded great in French and, by the end of class, suggested I translate it for myself. Time kept marching on, but by December 2011 I had completed a first draft of the translation.

Working at the Ontario Arts Council in 2012 meant that I couldn't participate in the Ottawa Fringe Festival, but I am under no such restrictions now. That said, the 2013 lottery came and went and Ididn't applied. Why? Because I didn't want to produce this show in a stereotypical venue. Yes, I actually wanted to do a Bring Your Own Venue (BYOV).

What first attracted me to the show was the realism I found in the text. As an artist, these days my interests lie in creating a real sense of intimacy between the audience and the performer. My favorite kind of theatre is the kind that makes me feel like a fly on the wall which is why, since this play takes place in a kitchen, I always envisioned doing it in a REAL kitchen.

The past few months have just gone by in a blur of finding a venue, paying fees, getting rights, scheduling, union negotiations, getting a director and a fellow actor...

Which all brings me to today. Today I handed in my program information for the Ottawa Fringe Festival and I am ecstatic to finally let you in on what I am doing after all this time.

Ladies and gentlemen, coming to the 2013 Ottawa Fringe Festival:

Dolores by Edward Allan Baker Original translation by Nancy Kenny Directed by Tania Levy Featuring Nancy Kenny and Martine Roquebrune

Venue: St Paul's Eastern United Church - Kitchen - 473 Cumberland St, Ottawa, ON Tickets: $10 - seating extremely limited

***************************************************** Ou bien en français:

Théâtre in situ de l’équipe acclamée de Roller Derby Saved My Soul.

Ayant finalement mérité une journée de répit, Sandra voit sa quiétude troublée par l’arrivée de sa sœur Dolores. Traduction originale de Nancy Kenny Mettant en vedette Nancy Kenny & Martine Roquebrune Mise en scène de Tania Levy

******************************************************

I have so much more that I want to say about this show, including options for all my anglo friends, so stay tuned to this blog for all the updates.

Are you excited yet? I know I am.

Un retour à la source

Little over a year ago, my acting teacher had me try out a little exercise in class. Before I said any lines in English, I had to say them in French first. Why? Because whenever I said the words in my native tongue, they would come out much more free and grounded in the body; a feeling that would then transfer to the English words.  And the thing is, translating the text into my own Acadian vocabulary, especially if the characters were already speaking in some sort of slang, was surprisingly easy to do on the spot.  This is an exercise that I continue to do to this day. When the class was over, my teacher gave me a note that I should really translate the entire play I was working on for myself.  I contacted the playwright through his website and got his permission.  Then, of course, I got busy with Roller Derby Saved My Soul, but since that was done, I felt it was time to get back to it.  After reading one of my elusive blog posts this season that included a mention of the translation, a friend contacted me asking if I could use a dramaturge for the text.  I was thrilled because frankly I have no idea what I'm doing here and she has experience with translations and a Master's in French Literature. So you know, some top notch help right there!

We chatted a bit about the play and why I wanted to do it.  We talked about how it is very different from most plays you would see in French; how I wanted to bring my English Canadian Theatre experience back to my French roots because they are both very much a part of me; and we talked about where we should go from here.  We set a deadline and lo and behold... It is December 20th and I have finished a first draft right on schedule!

As for the play itself, well, until I have official papers signed with the playwright, I won't say too much more about it, but trust me, this won't be the last you've heard of this!