≈ 1 hour and 45 minutes · No intermission
Artistic Director’s Notes
Historical fiction has often played out on our stages here at the NAC – Chasing Champions, Silence, The Colony of Unrequited Dreams, to name just a few recent examples. Some have more truth in them than others. This play is singular because of the amount of accuracy in the work that we might wish wasn’t true. Two years ago, before I saw this powerful work in Montreal, I would have unwittingly defended Canada (or what was to become Canada) as a haven for escaped slaves, not a place where they endured the same terrors and powerlessness that they experienced south of the border.
With Angélique, Lorena Gale creates a deep and complex character, brought to life by the extraordinary Jenny Brizard. Remarkably, Angélique is not defined by slavery; this is her brutal reality and lived injustice, but not her identity. She is a fierce and witty woman, beautiful and clever, at once resigned and defiant as she needs to be.
I am thrilled to welcome back to the NAC English Theatre’s mainstage Black Theatre Workshop, with whom we last partnered on The Adventures on a Black Girl in Search of God, and delighted to welcome their co-producers, the always inventive Table D’Hôte Theatre, with their necessary and beautifully told story.
Director’s Notes
Lorena Gale’s proposal in re-imagining and embracing the legacy of Angélique is to place her and her story in a world where now is then, and then is now. Through the backdrop of 18th century Nouvelle-France, she asks us to recognize the cyclical and systemic nature of the oppression inflicted on those who are perceived as other – stripped of their power, discarded or silenced, and ultimately tortured for their otherness.
This is not a history lesson about slavery. We know that history, some of us intimately, others just from (a few) history books. What I find uniquely compelling in Gale’s investigation is her dissection of the humanity within those who were born into privilege and power set against the humanity of those who do not have that luxury. What is it about us that makes us think monstrous thoughts, or worse, act on them? And further, what is it about Quebec and Canada which feeds the denial of our sordid history of oppression? Gale is unapologetic, begging for discourse and empathy, while calling oneach of us to deeply consider the social and cultural realities that make this piece as urgent as it was twenty years ago.
I am reminded every day of the power of theatre and the arts during times of uncertainty, rage and questioning. We are lucky to have a community of brave artists who challenge, who provoke, who use their abilities to speak out. Thank you to the artists and production team, and to Jillian and the NAC for riding the wave of Lorena’s audacious piece, and being unabashedly creative, courageous and collaborative. And thank you, dear audience, for the wealth you bring to the theatre with your presence, and for sharing this offering with us.
Black Theatre Workshop
Artistic Director, Quincy Armorer
General Manager, Adele Benoit
Outreach and Marketing Coordinator, Kym Dominique-Ferguson
Artist Mentorship Program Coordinator, Warona Setshwaelo
School Tour Coordinator, Christine Rodriguez
Box Office Coordinator, Darren Schilling
Event Coordinator, Abena Bentley
Tableau D’Hôte Theatre
Co-founder, Artistic and Executive Producer, Mathieu Murphy-Perron
Associate Producers, Paul Brian Imperial, Michelle Rambharose, Liz Valdez
Resident Designers, Audrey-Anne Bouchard, Rob Denton, Lara Kaluza, Noémi Poulin
Graphic Design, Phil Malizia
Photography and Video, Jaclyn Turner
Co-Founder and Previous Artistic Director, Mike Payette
Produced by arrangement with Catalyst TCM, Toronto.
Angélique was first produced by Alberta Theatre Projects as part of the PAN-Canadian playRites ’98 Festival, January 1998.
Thank you from Black Theatre Workshop / Tableau D’Hôte Theatre: The tour of Angélique was made possible thanks to funding from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec.
Lorena Gale
Born in Montréal, Lorena Gale was an award-winning actress, director and writer who worked extensively in theatres across Canada. Her first play, Angélique, was the winner of the du Maurier National Playwriting Competition and was nominated for a Betty Mitchell Award (Calgary) for Outstanding New Play (1998). Her solo performance, je me souviens: memories of an expatriate anglophone, Montréalaise, Québécoise exiled in Canada, premiered at Eastern Front Theatre’s On the Waterfront Festival in Halifax and was later produced at One Yellow Rabbit’s High Performance Rodeo in Calgary, the Firehall Theatre in Vancouver and the Belfry Theatre in Victoria.
Mike Payette
Mike Payette is an actor and director whose work has appeared at some of Canada’s finest theatres including Citadel Theatre, Manitoba Theatre for Young People, Vertigo Theatre, Banff Centre, The Grand Theatre, Factory Theatre, Neptune Theatre and the National Arts Centre, as well as many great companies in his hometown of Montreal. Directing credits include Harlem Duet (Black Theatre Workshop); A Line in the Sand and Another Home Invasion (Tableau D’Hôte Theatre); Hosanna and Choir Boy (Centaur Theatre); Around the World in 80 Days (Geordie Productions); and the recent national tour of The Tashme Project (Tashme Productions/Centaur Theatre/Factory Theatre/Firehall Theatre). Mike is a two-time Montreal English Theatre Award (META) recipient, was the co-founding Artistic Director of Tableau D’Hôte Theatre, and was Assistant Artistic Director for Black Theatre Workshop. He is currently the proud Artistic Director of Geordie Productions, one of Canada’s leading Theatre for Young Audiences companies.
Jenny Brizard
Having recently returned from studying at the London Method Acting Studio and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art masterclass program, Brizard continues to broaden her reach as an actor. Recent TV and film credits include Diggstown, Shadow Hunters, The Bold Type, On The Basis of Sex, Good Witch and the Howard Davis film, C’est Moi. Building on her early training as a dancer, Brizard has appeared with Cirque du Soleil, in Next to Normal (Beautiful City Theatre) and Guys and Dolls (the Segal Centre). Given the opportunity to reprise the role of Angélique, Brizard is keenly aware of the historical significance of this beautiful piece of theatre and humbled to again inhabit the skin of the brave and bold Marie Joseph Angélique.
Chip Chuipka
Chip studied parasites at the University of Toronto and performance at the University of Saskatchewan. Stage credits include Romeo and/et Juliette (Harbour-front World Theatre Festival/Stratford Festival, director Robert Lepage); Clutching the Heat (Great Canadian Theatre Company, director Peter Hinton); Mighty Carlins (ASM Performing Arts, director Mike Payette); Butcher (Centaur Theatre, director Roy Surette); Equivocation (Persephone Theatre, director Del Surjik). Film/TV credits include featured roles in John Smith’s Revenge of the Land and Bruce MacDonald’s Platinum; recurring roles on Emily of New Moon, Being Human and 19-2; guest roles on Made in Canada, Lexx and Moose TV. Chip is a two-time Montreal English Critics Circle Award recipient for Best Actor, and a Montreal English Theatre Award recipient for Best Supporting Actor. Thanks for coming.
Karl Graboshas
This is Karl’s first appearance at the NAC. Selected theatre: Sherlock Holmes (Segal Centre/Starvox Entertainment); Good People, Triplex Nervosa (Centaur Theatre); The Odyssey and The Iliad (Geordie Productions). Selected Film/TV: Blood & Treasure (CBS); Discussions avec mes parents, Faits Divers (Radio-Canada); Fugueuse (TVA); On the Basis of Sex (Focus); Brad’s Status (Plan B Entertainment); Bon Cop Bad Cop 2 (Les Films Séville); Goon: The Last of the Enforcers (Caramel Films). He also voiced the role of Koller in the hit video game Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. Karl is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada.
Olivier Lamarche
Olivier is a bilingual actor and creator working in theatre, film, television, video games and voice. He is co-founder and co-artistic director of the Montreal-based multidisciplinary production company PlayShed. Working across a variety of mediums, Olivier is currently developing a short interdisciplinary animation film, mentoring with Canadian and American opera directors, and creating and producing two multidisciplinary adaptations for the stage.
Omari Newton
Omari Newton is an award-winning artist. His original play Sal Capone: the Lamentable Tragedy of received critical acclaim and a 2018 presentation at the NAC. He has since been commissioned by Black Theatre Workshop to write a companion piece entitled Black & Blue Matters. Omari and his wife, Amy Lee Lavoie, are co-writing Redbone Coonhound, a satire about race. Newton’s work in Speakeasy Theatre’s production of The Shipment by Young Jean Lee earned him a 2018 Jessie Richardson Award for Best Actor and a nomination for Best Direction. His TV credits include Lucas Ingram (Continuum); Larry (Blue Mountain State); and Black Panther (Marvel Animated).
PJ Prudat
PJ Prudat is of proud Métis roots. She is Nightswimming Theatre’s 2019 Creator-in-Residence, and was previously Playwright in Rez at Native Earth Performing Arts (2013–2014), a member of Factory Theatre’s NRCG writer’s unit (2015), an acting company member for both the NAC’s English Theatre Ensemble (2015–2016) and the Shaw Festival (2017–Winter 2018), and a Laureate of the 2017 REVEAL Indigenous Art Awards. Selected acting credits: Iphigenia and the Furies (SAGA Collectif); Honour Beat (Theatre Calgary); Everything I Couldn’t Tell You (Spiderbones Theatre); Ipperwash (Native Earth Performing Arts); Moonlodge (Urban Ink Productions); Reckoning (Article 11); The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God, Twelfth Night (NAC); Cleo in Antony and Cleopatra (Shakespeare in the Ruins).
France Rolland
France is a Montreal-based actor. Theatre credits include Bar Kapra The Squirrel Hunter, The Bacchae and Medea (Scapegoat Carnivale Theatre); L’Histoire du Soldat (Orchestre Symphonique de Laval); Top Girls (Segal Centre for Performing Arts); Sexy Béton (Projet Porte Parole); and Les Contes Urbains (Théâtre Urbi et Orbi). She has taken part in the Festival TransAmériques, Just for Laughs and Toronto’s SummerWorks Festival. She is the recipient of a Montreal English Critics Circle Award for Best Actress (Medea), and a Montreal English Theatre Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress (Agave, The Bacchae).
Sixtrum Percussion Ensemble
João Catalão, Julien Grégoire, Philip Hornsey, Kristie Ibrahim, Fabrice Marandola, Olivier Tremblay-Noël
Since 2007, Sixtrum has been devoted to developing a rich and vibrant percussive universe through dozens of collaborations with Canadian and international composers and hundreds of performances in Canada and abroad. Recent highlights include the World Premiere of Rythmopolis (Montreal 2018), a Coup de Coeur Award from the Académie Charles-Cros (France) for the CD De la percussion, and a Montreal English Theatre Award for Outstanding Contribution to Theatre for the sound design of Angélique. Sixtrum is in residence at the Faculty of Music of the Université de Montréal, and is supported by CAM (Conseil des arts de Montréal), CALQ (Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec), and Canada Council for the Arts.
Eo Sharp
Angélique is Eo’s tenth production at the National Arts Centre. Other productions include And All for Love, A Christmas Carol and A Comedy of Errors, each of which was nominated for a Capital Critics Circle Best Design Award, as well as Saint Carmen of the Main, which won in 2011. Eo designed The Mountaintop, which was at the Great Canadian Theatre earlier this season. Her next productions include the continuing tour of Angélique at Factory Theatre in Toronto; and Mae West’s Sex directed by Peter Hinton at the Shaw Festival.
David Perreault Ninacs
Since graduating from the National Theatre School, David has designed over 80 theatre productions as well as lighting design for visual arts shows, corporate galas, dance and musical shows. Angélique is his first collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, Tableau D’Hôte Theatre and Mike Payette. David is more than happy to be able to create again with Ms. Sharp (with whom he won a Montreal English Critics Circle Award for Best Look). After more than 25 years of this life, he still believes that light, in all its forms, is worth looking into more closely.
Dayane Ntibarikure
Dayane Ntibarikure is a trilingual multidisciplinary artist who works as a performer and director. She enjoys incorporating movement and music into her storytelling as it allows her to delve deeper into her creativity and better bridge the gaps between language, culture and perceptions. She has portrayed the lead role of Dolores Van Cartier in the famous Sister Act musical as part of the Just for Laughs Festival. You might also have seen her in Black Theatre Workshop’s Binti’s Journey either in Montreal or Toronto. She’s forever grateful to her Black Theatre Workshop family for allowing her to explore her obsession with human connection and stories.
Zoe Roux
Zoe Roux is a set, costume and lighting designer based in Montreal. She was awarded the Outstanding Emerging Artist Award at the Montreal English Theatre Awards for her set and lighting design on Invasive Species (Blue Ox Productions) and Smackhead (We Are One). Other recent credits include costume and lighting design on Madame Catherine prépare sa classe de troisième à l’irrémédiable (Surreal SoReal Theatre); assistant costume design on Dis Merci (Joe, Jack and John); assistant costume design on Hosanna (Tableau D’Hôte Theatre/Centaur Theatre); and assistant costume and set design on The Last Wife (Centaur Theatre).
Nalo Soyini Bruce
Nalo Soyini Bruce is a Montreal-based artist, set, costume and prop designer of Caribbean origins. Her designs evoke rich associations through vibrant colour relationships, textured surfaces and varied materials. Since she emerged from the Black Theatre Workshop Artist Mentorship Program’s 2017–2018 ensemble, she has worked on a series of productions that explore themes of cultural identity, tolerance, acceptance and hopeful futures. Recent projects include The Domestic Crusaders (The Silk Road Institute); Rendez-vous with Home (Black Theatre Workshop); and Blackout: the Concordia Computer Riots (Tableau D’Hôte Theatre).
Ghislaine Doté
Originally from the Central African Republic, Ghislaine moved to Montreal in 1997, where she completed a BA in Contemporary Dance, and went on to found her own dance company. She choreographed and composed the score for her works, creating a singular musical and choreographic language. A prolific performer, Ghislaine’s dancing credits include work with Van Grimde Corps Secret, Compagnie Flak and Sinha Danse. She was in the cast of the acclaimed Berger-Plamondon musical Starmania and was also a So You Think You Can Dance Canada finalist. Ghislaine is currently pursuing a career as a vocalist in musical theatre and classical singing.
Birdie Gregor
Birdie works throughout Canada as a director and stage manager. Her newly-fledged theatre company Playshed’s first production, COCK, was nominated for Outstanding Independent Production at the Montreal English Theatre Awards (META). Select credits include The Mountaintop (Black Theatre Workshop/Neptune Theatre – META for Outstanding PACT Production); The Halloween Tree (Geordie Productions); Michel Tremblay’s Hosanna (Tableau D’Hôte Theatre – META for Outstanding Independent Production); Noises Off (Segal Centre for Performing Arts); Punch Up (Theatre Brouhaha presented by Highland Arts Theatre – Atlantic Fringe’s Best of Festival Winner); Intimate Apparel (Centaur Theatre Company).
Jessica Pukay
Jessica is thrilled to be working with Black Theatre Workshop, Tableau D’Hôte Theatre and the National Arts Centre for the first time! Selected stage management credits: A Christmas Carol, Billy Elliot, Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Jersey Lily, Miracle on South Division Street (and tour), The Penelopiad, August Osage County, Grumpy Old Men: The Musical, The 39 Steps, White Christmas (Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre); Richard III, A Comedy of Errors, Julius Caesar, Henry IV and Henry V (Shakespeare in the Ruins); Mary Poppins (Globe Theatre); Munsch Upon a Time (Prairie Theatre Exchange); The Nutcracker (Royal Winnipeg Ballet); Dying to be Thin (Manitoba Theatre for Young People); Hairspray (Rainbow Stage).