Once upon a time lived another Snow Queen…

One fine morning Kay decides to leave Gerda. He wants to go far away, over there where the snowflakes dance and the ice glistens, but that’s not what the courageous little girl hears. She decides to brave the cold and, at the risk of freezing, embarks on a long quest to find her friend. Sound familiar?

The result of a collaboration between André Laliberté, Étienne Lepage and Catherine Vidal, Le cœur en hiver revisits the The Snow Queen, the famous fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. This Théâtre de l'Œil production is an opportunity for the artists to create an exciting original work using their favourite vehicle – puppets.

Le cœur en hiver
Presented by the NAC Théâtre français
For children ages 5 and up
January 30 at 1:30 p.m.
January 31 at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m.
NAC Studio

From the original fairy tale Étienne Lepage has kept the characters, the events and the structure. The main thing he changed was the language. “The story was initially meant to be read rather than performed, so I added dialogue. The narrator became more dynamic, more comical. My Gerda does not have the naiveté of Andersen’s character. I wanted her to be strong, intelligent, guided by her emotions but capable of reasoning and making choices. She accepts the fact that life is difficult, whereas Kay opts for denial and evasion, which keeps him frozen. But beauty and suffering are two facets of the same thing, like a rose and its thorns.”

This puppet adaptation of the Andersen story The Snow Queen is magnificent, thanks to the combination of Théâtre de l’Œil’s experience and the ingenuity of the young director Catherine Vidal. The playful modern text by Étienne Lepage completes this winning trio, and the result is a coherent, sometimes somber but always entertaining tale. This is first-rate theatre for young audiences.

Josée Lapointe, La Presse

Pre-show Activities

Before every performance, children are invited to the lobby for arts and crafts activities inspired by the puppet world of Cœur en hiver. Children and their parents will also enjoy the Book Nook, presented in association with the Ottawa Public Library. It offers a selection of books related to the themes of the performance.

Where:           NAC Studio lobby
When:            40 minutes before the performance

 

Étienne Lepage, A Compelling Storyteller
Étienne Lepage is a multidisciplinary playwright, screenwriter, translator and artist whose work has been presented all over North America and Europe. The amazing diversity of his work attests to his great talent. He has often collaborated with the director Catherine Vidal, and trusts the intelligence of children and their capacity to develop a rich rapport with complex material.

Catherine Vidal, Instinct for Invention
A graduate of the acting program at the Conservatoire d’art dramatique in Montreal, Catherine Vidal now works as a director. Pursuing a clear, coherent point of view, she stages works with a strong message. In 2008 her theatrical adaptation of Agota Kristof’s Grand cahier was acclaimed by critics and audiences alike, and in 2013 she received the Prix de la critique for her presentation of the David Harrower play Des couteaux dans les poules (Knives in Hens). She works regularly with graduating students of acting programs in various theatre schools.

Le Théâtre de l’Œil 
Pursuing its own original approach since 1973, over the years the Théâtre de l’Œil has worked with artists of all ages from here and elsewhere and from other disciplines, developing an original repertoire of puppet theatre for young audiences. A touring company since its inception, it performs in Quebec, across Canada and abroad.

 

Script: Étienne Lepage // Director: Catherine Vidal // Cast: Nicolas Germain-Marchand, Pierre-Louis Renaud, Estelle Richard, Karine Sauvé // Set design and puppets: Richard Lacroix // Sound design: Francis Rossignol // Lighting: Alexandre Pilon-Guay // Artistic consultant: André Laliberté // Assistant director: Stéphane Heine // Stage manager: Gilles Perron // Stagehand: Catherine Germain

Produced by Théâtre de l'Œil
Show duration: 55 minutes