Jonathan kisses Latifa in the schoolyard. It is love at first sight and a shock wave for all who witness it – the girls and boys, the teachers and the principal – a passion that, like an eclipse observed with the naked eye, leaves them stunned, dazzled by the impact. Combining elements of the video clip and the oratorio, this incandescent presentation boldly blends poetry, dance and music, reviving in each spectator the ardour and excitement of first love.

Dozens of young people are represented here by two girls and two boys in a schoolyard. An elderly woman (played by Béatrice Picard) sitting alone by a window is the only witness to the impact of that flash of blinding love. Onstage, music is at the very centre of this passion, a pivotal point for the transition to becoming an adult and for sexuality and interpersonal relations, issues of daily concern in the reality of adolescents.

In the spring of 2004 Luc Tartar was asked by Jean-Claude Gal and the Théâtre du Pélican to conduct writing workshops on the language of love among adolescents. The objective was to work with teenagers on their feelings about love and to reflect on a new, more playful and inventive language of love so as to create a lexicon that is sensitive, sparkling and colourful. Six groups of adolescents from different social and economic backgrounds took part in the exercise, and a total of 180 teenagers wrote about love and its indiscretions. Thrilled by the experience, after the workshops Luc Tartar wrote S’embrasent.

A playwright, novelist and actor, Luc Tartar was born in France, where he still lives and works. He began his career with Stuart Seide in Lille and then, from 1996 to 2006, he was an associate playwright at Théâtre d’Arras where he wrote several scripts, including Les Arabes à Poitiers, Terres arables, Papa Alzheimer and Parti chercher and, for young audiences, S’embrasent and En voiture Simone. He has also written two novels, Le marteau d’Alfred and Sauvez Régine! He has received several grants from the French Ministry of Culture and the Centre national du livre, and in 2000 was invited to Quebec to conduct a CEAD writing workshop in Tadoussac. His play En découdre was presented in April 2011 at Théâtre de Quat’Sous in Montreal, directed by Eric Jean.

The artistic director of Théâtre de Quat’Sous since 2004, Eric Jean established a reputation early on as being one of the boldest and most promising artists of his generation. His recent presentations include Une si belle chose by Jonathan Harvey, Blue Bayou, la maison de l’étalon by Reynald Robinson, Hippocampe by Pascal Brullemans and Eric Jean, and Cornemuse by Larry Tremblay. In addition to being a finalist for the Siminovitch Award for best Canadian director in 2004, he has received two Masques awards for best regional production. His play Hippocampe was awarded the Prix de la critique montréalaise.

Founded in 1990 Théâtre Bluff presents new theatre plays, with an emphasis on works that deal with major contemporary issues whose themes and aesthetics are likely to strike a chord with an adolescent audience. A veritable centre for artistic encounters, through its research, creation of new works and its artistic mediation, the company is constantly inventing new avenues to stimulate fertile dialogue between guest artists and its audience.

Written by
LUC TARTAR

Directed by
ERIC JEAN

With
FRANCESCA BÁRCENAS
CHRISTIAN BARIL
MICKAËL GOUIN
TALIA HALLMONA
BÉATRICE PICARD

Assistant director
STÉPHANIE RAYMOND

Set design
MAGALIE AMYOT

Lightning
MARTIN SIROIS

Costumes
STÉPHANIE CLOUTIER

Sound design
OLIVIER GAUDET SAVARD

Technical and production director
GUILLAUME BLOCH

Produced by
THÉÂTRE BLUFF

Presented in collaboration with
Radio-Canada

School matinées
WEDNESDAY APRIL 25 AT 12:30 P.M.
THURSDAY APRIL 26 AT 12:30 P.M.
FRIDAY APRIL 27 AT 12:30 P.M.

Public performances
FRIDAY APRIL 27 AT 8:00 P.M. *
SATURDAY APRIL 28 AT 8:00 P.M.

* Post-performance talkback session

Timing
About 50 minutes with no intermission

NAC STUDIO
53 Elgin, Ottawa

Tickets
$18.79

NAC Box Office
(Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.)
www.nac-cna.ca

Ticketmaster
1 888 991-2787

Subscriptions
613 947-7000, ext. 620

Sylvain Lavoie
Communications Officer
French Theatre
National Arts Centre
tel.: 613 947-7000 ext. 396
tool free: 1 866 850-2787 ext. 396
cell.: 613 979-2636
sylvain.lavoie@nac-cna.ca
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