Born in a small farming community at the turn of the last century, Petit Pierre, a wee slip of a man with a funny smile, was deaf and partially blind. One day for Fleurette – his favourite cow – he built an unusual beet distributor. That was the first in a slew of inventions that Petit Pierre enjoyed building. With scrap materials gleaned from the roadside, he constructed the work of a lifetime – a gigantic moving mechanical installation, a swirling merry-go-round spinning a century of poetry.

 

A seminal work by the company Le Carrousel, Petit Pierre, written by Suzanne Lebeau and directed by Gervais Gaudreault, revisits the life of Pierre Avezard in light of key events of the 20^th century – from the Great War to the fall of the Berlin Wall. Onstage are two story tellers, an actor and a mobile circular structure where, one after the other, the little man’s most famous inventions appear. This play, translated into three different languages and performed more than 200 times around the world, will be presented by the Théâtre français on November 7 and 8 at 1:30 p.m. at the NAC Studio. For ages 8 and up. Pre-show activities start at 12:50 p.m. in the Studio lobby.

 

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Pre-Show Activities

With the first show of the Enfance/jeunesse season, our series of pre-show activities also gets underway, to the delight of spectators both old and young. Children and parents will enjoy the Book Nook, established in conjunction with the Ottawa Public Library, which offers several books linked to the theme of each play presented. Children are also invited to make a mobile, using as inspiration the creative spirit of Petit Pierre. The mobiles will be displayed in the Salle de la Fontaine next to the Studio during the week of the performances.

 

Where: NAC Studio lobby

When: 40 minutes before each performance

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Who was Petit Pierre?

Pierre Avezard (1909-1992) was born prematurely or “unfinished”, as he would say. Half-blind and almost deaf, he quit school at the age of 7 to work as a cowherd. Anything that moved – on legs, wheels or by other means – fascinated him. While the world plunged through horrible times, Petit Pierre spent almost forty years building his carousel, a poetic machine of striking beauty so mechanically complex that even engineers had difficulty explaining it.  

To see the Petit Pierre carousel in action: bit.ly/1V5DDbi

It must be said: Petit Pierre is not theatre for children. It is theatre, pure and simple. True theatre. Marvellous theatre. [...] The emotional, truthful acting, the simplicity and ingenuity of the set, the intimate lighting – all transport the spectator into the story of a man who was different, solitary, endearing and ingenious, a man who lived through the history of his century more with his instinct rather than with his reason.

L’Union, Reims

 

Suzanne Lebeau – Pathfinder of the Soul

A writer with 27 original plays to her credit, Suzanne Lebeau is internationally renowned as a leading playwright of works for young audiences. Her playscripts have been published all over the world and translated into 20 languages, notably Une lune entre deux maisons, L’Ogrelet and Le bruit des os qui craquent.  NAC audiences saw her recent piece Gretel et Hansel in 2014.

 

Gervais Gaudreault – Metaphor of the Heart

Gervais Gaudreault studied singing and performance, and in 1975 he and Suzanne Lebeau founded Le Carrousel theatre company. He acted in the company’s plays and in 1981 directed Une lune entre deux maisons (1981), the first Carrousel play to reach an international audience. Since then he has directed most of the company’s plays, including L’Ogrelet, Petit Pierre and Le bruit des os qui craquent.

Written by: Suzanne Lebeau // direction and set design: Gervais Gaudreault and Marie-Eve Huot // Performed by: Ludger Côté, Maude Desrosiers and Emilie Dionne // technical director and set designer: Francine Martin // lighting: Dominique Gagnon // sound designer: Nicolas Rollin // costumes: Marie-Pierre Fleury // hair and makeup: Pierre Lafontaine // stage manager: Nicolas Fortin and Emmanuel Cognée // production manager: Dominique Gagnon

Produced by: LE CARROUSSEL, COMPAGNIE DE THÉÂTRE

Duration: 1 hour