About the Play
On the surface, this is a story of two Saskatchewan towns – Ste. Vierge, a defunct Francophone town and the prosperous nearby English town of Welby.
Jean Claude is the only remaining resident of Ste. Vierge, Saskatchewan. A Francophone town once populated mostly by Jean Claude’s large Catholic family. Everyone has either died or moved away in pursuit of the “fancy” offerings of the new neighboring English town, Welby.
Jean Claude reminisces about his early life in Ste. Vierge. Seen from the eyes of a child he recounts stories of growing up as the youngest member of a huge family, his adventures as a funeral singer and as a French school boy in an English school with his friend, ‘Tit Loup. The interesting characters in Jean Claude’s life have a huge impact on the boy. His Oncle Elis lived in a shack in the valley with a Métis man called le Gros Cackoo and his grandmother helped him create a zoo out of papier-mâché. In a desperate attempt to revive his dying town Jean Claude hatches a plan.
Running Time: two hours including intermission
Did You Know?
- Originally appeared at the Edmonton Fringe Festival in 1995
- A complete town of papier mache people was created for the production
Tour Dates
National Arts Centre, Ottawa November 3 - 14, 2009
Persephone Theatre, Saskatoon November 19 - 29, 2009
Presented with the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad and the Vancouver Cultural Centre March 16 to 20, 2010
Magnetic North Theatre Festival , Kitchener-Waterloo June 15-19, 2010
