My plans to write about the film “Québec, My Country, Mon Pays” today became heightened after the past weekend’s tragedy at a Québec City mosque. My heart goes out to the people who were practicing a peaceful prayer, their families, and the community, that includes us.
I lived in Québec City. J’ai vecu a Québec. I know that when we say “a Québec” (in Québec) as opposed to “au Québec” (also, in Québec) that the former means the city, and not the province, the latter. I spent 4 years there. First, studying French. Secondly, studying acting at Le Conservatoire d’Art Dramatique de Québec.
Today marks World Theatre Day, and it also marks exactly one year since I started this blog. Despite being here a year, I still feel like a newbie who desires to write more frequently, and explore more (hopefully that feeling will last forever).
In the meantime, I would like to wish you all a very Happy World Theatre Day. I wish this day had the same buzz as the Olympics, but, unfortunately we live in a world where sport accomplishments seem to rise to the top, long before artistic ones. I guess it’s a number game.
However, I didn’t show up to my blog today to rant. I came here to celebrate theatre, and honour the spectacle, the liveness, the unexpected, the truth, the mistakes, the improvisation, the courage of the story, of the actors, and of the support behind the scenes.
Theatre has been in my life since I was 17 when I first got involved with costumes at the Charlottetown Festival in Prince Edward Island. I eventually became a dresser and the joke was always that “one of the performers had fallen” and “Trilby had to go on”. In my imagination, I would burst out of my dowdy pinafore and conveniently have a sequined outfit underneath. I was READY!
That scenario didn’t happen, but I did end up taking the place of one of the clowns in the children’s clown show where I was also doing the lights and audio. And, I loved it. The performing seed was planted.
My journey was seriously launched at Le Conservatoire d’Art Dramatique, in Quebec City, where I studied acting, en Francais, for three years.
Outside le théâtre du Conservatoire
Since graduation (many moons ago), I have played with lots of actors, told lots of stories in both languages, had funny things happen (remember your mustache drifting off your face, Dan?), had scary moments (oh..it’s awful to have a blank on opening night!), and had a lot of fun.
Earlier this year I was fortunate to have directed “The Memory of Water” by Shelagh Stephenson and I truly enjoyed the creative adventure. This evening, appropriately, the cast and crew are celebrating our journey together.
Cast & Crew of "The Memory of Water"
So, today, I dedicate World Theatre Day to them, our experience, and to all those who continue to dare to write plays, mount plays, act in plays, tour with plays, renovate old theatres, and to the audiences who continue to appreciate witnessing live theatre.
Merci, et, célébrons… keep celebrating theatre! Vive Le Théâtre!
Trilby Jeeves ~ Bouffon Droppings... 