Ottawa, 18 October 2013 – The NAC’s Théâtre français is proud to present Visage de feu (Fireface) by German playwright Marius von Mayenburg, directed by Joël Beddows. At the heart of this incendiary play, a “normal” nuclear family lives together under the same roof: an engineer father, a stay-at-home mother and two adolescents in full crisis mode. Written as a series of short, powerful scenes, the piece implacably dissects the fall of this modern family as it plunges into breathtaking drama. Visage de feu confronts the rage of adolescents and the collapse and ruin of parents head-on. A veritable ticking bomb, it will explode four nights in a row at the NAC Studio from October 30 to November 2 at 8 pm.

 

The impetuous German playwright Marius von Mayenburg (a contemporary of Thomas Ostermeier) portrays worlds that are full of volatile youth. Attacking contemporary ills in caustic, virulent fashion, his play Visage de feu (first presented in 1998 in Munich as Feuergesicht) is a scathing portrait of the modern family. The director Joël Beddows was struck by this incandescent piece, and finds that the charactersembody the decadent, nihilist spirit so characteristic of our era. A slice of reality presented in finely honed, precise and refined language, this adaptation by Frank Heibert and Beddows himself strikes close to home.

 

Parents represent an idea of normality, moral standards, the place one must find in a society that is a community of values familiar to us. The art of Marius von Mayenburg is to show us the other side of the coin. That normality represses individuality, sexuality and creativity, and thus can trigger totalitarianism.

Frank Heibert

 

The German tradition of presenting the rural universe as perverse also exists in our society. It is present in our theatre, a tradition that arose from melodrama. What springs to mind of course isLa petite Aurore, l’enfant martyre. The story of Visage de feu could very well take place here.

Joël Beddows

 

Co-produced by the NAC’s Théâtre français, Théâtre l’Escaouette in Moncton and Théâtre Blanc in Quebec City, this presentation includes performers and designers from Acadia, Quebec and Ontario.

 

Marius von Mayenburg received the Kleist Award for Emerging Playwrights and the Frankfurt Writers’ Foundation Award for Visage de feu.

 

Written by: Marius von Mayenburg // Translated by: Mark Blezinger, Laurent Muhleisen and Gildas Milin // Adapted by: Joël Beddows and Frank Heibert // Directed by: Joël Beddows // Cast: Diane Losier, Lucien Ratio, André Robillard, Joannie Thomas and Réjean Vallée // Set Design: Jean Hazel // Lighting: Marc Paulin // Music and Sound Design: Jean-François Mallet // Costumes and Props: Dominique Giguère // Costume Creation and Alterations: Apparat confection créative // Production Manager: Pierre Boudreau // Assistant Director & Stage Manager: Justin Gauvin // Directing Intern: Sébastien Leclerc // Coordinator: Luc Gosselin // Assistant Set Designer & Set Construction: Sylvain Ward

 

 

BLAZING BODIES

Interview with the director Joël Beddows and the translator Frank Heibert

The director Joël Beddows lives in Ottawa, and the translator Frank Heibert lives in Berlin. Together they stepped into the flames as they worked on an adaptation of Visage de feu. The Théâtre français and the Theatre Department of the University of Ottawa invite you to a discussion between these two men, hosted by the journalist Mélissa Proulx. A rich and fiery exchange awaits!

Thursday, October 31 from noon to 1 pm

At the NAC’s Fourth Stage

Free admission