Saturday, Dec. 16 and Sunday, Dec. 17 at 3 p.m., NAC Azrieli Studio

 

“Playwright and director Érika Tremblay-Roy’s ingenuity is wonderful to see.
Using just a few simple materials—a few tubes, red gloves, a bit of rope—,
she brings the various animals to life.”
Le Devoir, May 3, 2017

 

OTTAWA, Canada, December 6, 2017 – To celebrate the holidays, Le Petit Théâtre de Sherbrooke brings us a family adventure full of secrets and surprises, a wacky trip to a fabulous world of peculiar animals. A clever and amazing show!

On stage, two actors and their machine-for-playing-with-animals tell us imaginative, unconventional animal stories in words and pictures. It’s a treat to meet this unique, slightly surreal bestiary, a playful celebration of our connection to our furred and feathered friends.

 

“The young spectators’ … fascination with these little stories can be ascribed
partly to the imaginative, goofy quality of the tales,
and partly to the two lead actors’ convincing performance.”
“As inspiring for adults as it is for children.”
JEU, revue de théâtre, April 30, 2017

Written by Marie-Hélène Larose-Truchon, David Paquet and Érika Tremblay-Roy // Directed by Érika Tremblay-Roy // With Ludger Côté and Emmanuelle Laroche // Visual concept: Isabelle Caron // Lighting and stage management: Andréanne Deschênes // Music: Yann Godbout // Artistic consultant: Karine Sauvé // Technical direction: Simon Vincent

Produced by Le Petit Théâtre de Sherbrooke

Running time: 40 minutes

 

INTERVIEW WITH PLAYWRIGHT AND DIRECTOR ÉRIKA TREMBLAY-ROY (EXCERPT)

What’s it like to write a six-hander? What are the challenges and benefits?

It’s inspiring! It’s a little like gathering photographs, found objects, drawings, natural elements … all kinds of things that seem unrelated at first, but can be used to make associations and create a cohesive tableau. We started by writing short texts, very instinctively, individually. I then built a sort of “skeleton” of the show by piecing David’s little stories together with Marie-Hélène’s and mine, being careful to preserve their colours and textures. Then the three of us tackled the challenge of wrestling this unwieldy word-beast into a shape we were all happy with!

Read the full interview on the show’s webpage

 

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!

PRE-SHOW ACTIVITIES

Returning alongside the Enfance/jeunesse series are our pre-show activities for young and old. Families are invited to arrive 45 minutes before the show to participate in “Un bestiaire spectaculaire,” a collective creative workshop based on the content of the play.

Where: Azrieli Studio Foyer
When: 45 minutes before each performance