Classic play by William Shakespeare, updated and adapted for family audiences by Emma Haché and directed by Alice Ronfard.

Written by Emma Haché / Directed and designed by Alice Ronfard / Assistant directors: Édith Bélanger and Catherine Arsenault / With Noémie Godin?Vigneau, Jean?Philippe Perras and Christophe Rapin / Production and technical director: Francis Laporte / Set construction and painting: Francis Laporte and Stéphanie Arsenault / Costumes and marionettes: Annie Gélinas / Props: Yoan Arsenault / Lighting: Cyril Bussy / Sound technician: Frédéric Beauchemin / Video technician: Simon Labbé?Deslauriers

A Théâtre de la Petite Marée production, recommended for ages 8 and older.

Ottawa, May 16, 2011 – Betrayed by his brother and the King of Naples, Prospero is forced to abandon his dukedom in Milan. He and his daughter Miranda are cast out to sea on a crude raft, and eventually drift ashore on a desert island. Somehow, amid the upheaval, Prospero manages to save his precious books, which are the source of his magic and power, and over the years he learns to tame the elements and the spirits. Indeed, his skill has grown so great that he can now lure his enemies to his fantastical new kingdom... The hour of vengeance has struck at last! Helped by his servant Ariel, he conjures up a violent storm that casts his shipwrecked enemies up on the shore of the island. Shakespeare’s memorable characters come vibrantly alive in the hands of a team of talented puppeteers who use every trick in the book, from spells to schemes to outright shenanigans, to blow the dust off this classic tale.

Based in Baie-des-Chaleurs in Quebec’s Gaspé region, Théâtre de la Petite Marée specializes in summer family shows for audiences of all ages. Seasoned director Alice Ronfard steers us safely through a Tempest freely adapted by playwright Emma Haché.

ARIEL
I howled like a banshee. The sea was a ravenous beast, and the ship was so small, so fragile.
I sparked their minds, I dashed their hopes. I darted from the bridge to the cabins to the mast to the hold. I was here, and here, and over there! I was everywhere.
And everywhere I went, illusion and despair followed in my wake.
They are mad, they no longer recognize themselves. It’s a beautiful sight.

About the Playwright: Emma Haché
In the course of her literary and theatrical career, Emma Haché has worked with francophone theatres across Canada, including Théâtre l’Escaouette, Théâtre populaire d’Acadie, Théâtre de la Dame de Cœur, Omnibus— le Théâtre des Amis de Chiffons, Le Trunk Collectif, Théâtre de la Petite Marée, and the NAC French Theatre. She has received numerous literary awards: her second play, L’Intimité, won the 2003 Fonds Gratien-Gélinas Prime à la Création bursary awarded annually by Montreal’s Centre des Auteurs Dramatiques, the Louise LaHaye bursary, and the 2004 Governor General’s Literary Award for Drama, and was translated into English (as Intimacy) by Arthur Milner. In May 2004 she received the inaugural Bernard Cyr Award presented by the Fondation pour l’avancement du théâtre francophone au Canada, and later that year two Éloize Awards (for Artist of the Year and Literary Discovery of the Year) from the Association acadienne des artistes professionnel.le.s du Nouveau-Brunswick (AAAPNB). Emma Haché was commissioned to write the script for Les Défricheurs d’eau, premiered in Caraquet, NB in summer 2004 as part of the celebrations marking Acadia’s 400^th anniversary. In 2005, for Théâtre la Dame de Cœur, she wrote La Chambre des rêves. From 2008 to 2011 she was an Associated Artist at the NAC French Theatre, where she developed a new play under the mentorship of French Theatre Artistic Director Wajdi Mouawad. The play, Wolfe, premiered at Moncton’s Théâtre l’Escaouette in February 2011, co-produced by L’Escaouette and the NAC French Theatre.

About the Director: Alice Ronfard
Before becoming an actor, Alice Ronfard studied painting, sculpture and choreography in Paris and Montreal, and designed stage sets and lighting for the Théâtre Expérimental de Montréal and the Théâtre Expérimental des Femmes. As a director, she does not shy away from monumental works, as demonstrated by her stagings for l’Opéra de Montréal of Shakespeare’s La Tempête, Pirandello’s Henri IV, Claudel’s L’Annonce faite à Marie, and Mozart’s Così fan tutte. She has also directed works by Quebec playwrights, including Normand Chaurette’s Provincetown Playhouse, 19 juillet 1991, j’avais 19 ans and Lise Vaillancourt’s Billy Strauss. Her most recent directing credits include Evelyne de la Chenelière’s Imposture (Théâtre du Nouveau Monde) and Les Pieds des anges (Espace GO), Emma Haché’s La Tempête, based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest (Théâtre de la Petite Marée), and the dance show La Complainte de Dulcinée for Dulcinea Langfelder & Co.

Théâtre de la Petite Marée
Théâtre de la Petite Marée was founded in 1994 by graduates of the Conservatoire d’art dramatique de Québec, and is currently directed by Jacques Laroche. The theatre is located in Baie-des-Chaleurs, in Quebec’s Gaspé region, right across from the marina and down the street from the Bonaventure pier. The theatre’s family-oriented shows have been a popular part of summer in Baie-des-Chaleurs for over 15 years. Created by professional theatre artists, the company’s original productions are inspired by myths and legends both local and universal, history, literary classics, and most important, the sea... always the sea. Actors, musicians, marionettes, shadows, masks, projections and other magical elements crowd onstage to astonish and delight audiences of all ages. Over the years, Théâtre de la Petite Marée has given their start to many artists who are now well known, including Pierre?François Legendre, Anne?Marie Olivier, Yves Amyot, Isabelle Hubert, Vincent?Guillaume Otis, Vincent Champoux and Fanny Britt.

MIRANDA
Forgive me, dear father. My heart is heavy and my mind is troubled.
I have never seen such strong winds nor such huge waves.
It pained me to see that ship twisting and groaning, and my heart seemed to cry out in sympathy.
I weep for the poor souls lost to the sea, for surely they have families
waiting vainly on the shore for the sight of a familiar sail.
How could anyone not be distressed by such a sight?

PROSPÉRO
Yes, I know, I might have overdone it a bit, but it was necessary.

MIRANDA
What? What are you saying? The storm—that was your doing?

RENCONTRE DU SAMEDI
After the 1:30 p.m. performance on Saturday, May 28, he audience is invited to stay after the show for a talkback session with members of the cast and creative team, hosted by Marie?Claude Dicaire. Duration: 20 minutes.

RESERVATIONS:
www.nac-cna.ca

TICKETMASTER:
1-888-991-2787 (ARTS)

NAC BOX OFFICE
53 Elgin Street, Ottawa
Monday–Saturday
10 a.m.–9 p.m.

TICKETS
Adults $13.96
Children $13.96

MEDIA CONTACT
Guy Warin
Assistant to the Artistic Director
French Theatre
613-947-7000, ext. 581
gwarin@nac-cna.ca