Rome wasn’t built in a day… and that’s what makes it so beautiful and so poetic. Marie-Christine Lê-Huu expands on this idea as she talks about her show: “We don’t hear much about perseverance these days. In a world of mass consumerism and instant gratification, the notion seems to have gone out of style. And yet each and every day, children face countless challenges large and small, obstacles to overcome, deep sorrows to endure, mountains to climb. I wanted to invent a story, a fable that addressed the notion of courage on a child’s scale; a story about victories that are won not through strength or speed, but through patience and perseverance. I immediately thought of Japan, or at least my own concept of Japanese cultural traditions. A woman once asked Kazuo Ono, grand master of Japanese Butoh, why he danced so slowly. He replied that he was dancing the birth of the world and he couldn’t imagine doing it any faster. Learning the art of bunraku puppetry is a rigorous process that takes place in stages over many years. Japanese drumming is the same. It’s a culture that values patience as an end in itself. I am profoundly affected by things that take effort to achieve.” It’s worth revisiting this philosophy, this attitude and this state of mind every now and then, and allow ourselves to observe the world around us in a new and inspiring light!

Le Voyage (“The Journey”) is the story of a boy and his mother lost in the mountains of Japan, searching for a sign of life, or at least somewhere to take shelter. The boy is angry with his mother: he never wanted to come to Japan in the first place. How was he supposed to know when he got on the plane that he would soon be stuck in the snow, in the cold, in the dark? To give him courage and raise his spirits, his mother decides to tell him three stories about love, perseverance, and patience. Marie?Christine Lê?Huu invites young viewers ages 5 to 9 to share the journey as, with the help of enchanting puppets and the uplifting music of Louis Armstrong, the boy confronts his fears and embraces his new life... and ultimately discovers that the outcome was worth the journey.

“The show itself is the outcome of a collective adventure,” adds Marie-Christine Lê-Huu. “Each of the performers contributed their own ideas, revealing new horizons and perspectives. When Patrick’s puppets come to life, they open up the potential for amazing tenderness—and for crazy energy and great fun!”

PRE-SHOW ACTIVITIES
In partnership with the Embassy of Japan in Canada, the NAC French Theatre is pleased to present special pre-show activities with a Japanese theme. Learn to write your name in Japanese, and take it home with you as a souvenir!

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Aude RAHMANI
Communications Officer - French Theatre
National Arts Centre
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Cell : 613-979-2636
arahmani@nac-cna.ca
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