Sat., Oct. 28 and Sun., Oct. 29 at 11 a.m and 3 p.m., NAC Rossy Pavilion

“A loving tribute to [popular children’s TV personality] Fanfreluche,
this simple, ingenious play invites the audience to enter the story,
then leave it, just as you would close a book.”

—Marie Fradette, LE DEVOIR, May 16, 2017

 

OTTAWA (Canada), October 13, 2017 –– The storyteller and her guitar-playing friend welcome the audience into a warm and cozy milieu, and when everyone has settled in, the story begins. It’s the tale of a gruff and solitary bear, and an irritating little fly that buzzes around him... One day, our furry hero has a dream: a pure white bear cub is calling to him. It’s the start of a journey under vast northern skies.

Adapted from a children’s book by author Jasmine Dubé and illustrator Jean‑Luc Trudel, this cuddly show reminds us that love changes everything, and that it sometimes comes in unexpected shapes and colours.

 

INTERVIEW WITH CREATOR JASMINE DUBÉ (EXCERPT)

Ma petite boule d’amour is the final work in a trilogy about fatherhood (after Papoul and Petit monstre). What made you choose this subject?

I wanted to put daddies in the spotlight, to talk about the importance of their role and offset the stereotypes we see on TV and in the movies. When I wrote Petit monstre, in 1991, fathers were generally a lot less involved with their children than they are now. Over the years, I’ve seen definite progress with regard to men’s presence in their children’s lives.

In Ma petite boule d’amour, the theme of fatherhood is paired with the theme of adoption. I started with the character of a frowzy old bear, holed up in his den to tend his wounds. At first, he’s a sad character with no self-confidence. Then I introduced a little fly called Tsé Tsé … a link to sleep and the unconscious. And then a little bear cub calls the big oaf out of his den. Who’s really helping whom in this story? Luckily, we’re often watched over by a guiding star, and here it takes the form of the Big Dipper, also called the Great Bear …

Read the full interview on the show’s webpage

 

Written by Jasmine Dubé // Directed by Jasmine Dubé and Jean-François Guilbault // With Jasmine Dubé and Pablo Bonacina // Set design and costumes: Cassandre Chatonnier // Illustrations: Jean-Luc Trudel // Lighting: Cédric Delorme-Bouchard // Music: Jasmine Dubé and Christophe Papadimitriou // Technician and stage manager: Charlotte Isis-Gervais

Produced by Théâtre Bouches Décousues

Running time: approximately 45 minutes

 

After a peripatetic year of performances in venues outside the National Arts Centre, the Enfance/jeunesse series returns to the beautiful new NAC for our 2017–18 season! This show opens the season in one of the new spaces, the Rossy Pavilion.

 

PRE-SHOW ACTIVITIES

Returning alongside the Enfance/jeunesse series are our pre-show activities for young and old. Families will be pleased to rediscover our reading corner, created in partnership with the Ottawa Public Library and stocked with books related to the themes of the show.

Where: Rossy Pavilion Foyer (in the new part of the NAC, entrance at 1 Elgin Street)

When: 40 minutes before each peformance