A woman alone in the middle of a major thoroughfare in a big city, in the middle of the chaos of rush hour. She is on the lookout for the world, and all she can see is the absence of a world that never appears. She dreams of the day when she will finally be able to scream, “Land ho!”, to cry out, “Life ahead!” – but nothing but birds, so many birds! These are the words written by Wajdi Mouawad especially for his friend Jane Birkin, who becomes, for the space of this performance, the sentinel of her time, of her world, of her history.

French Theatre is pleased to present this exclusive Canadian engagement. A special off-subscription presentation for the 2011–12 season, La Sentinelle is a unique opportunity to see – and, better yet, to hear – Jane Birkin and Wajdi Mouawad together on stage. These two artists, mutually impressed by their respective vision and passionate social consciousness, are motivated by the same immediate and authentic humanity.

Playwright, director and actor Wajdi Mouawad was born in 1968 and spent his childhood in Lebanon, his adolescence in France, and his young adulthood in Quebec. There he enrolled in the acting program at the National Theatre School of Canada, graduating in 1991. As well as performing in seven of his own productions, he has undertaken roles under the direction of other artists, such as in Albert Camus’s Caligula for Brigitte Haentjens, Cabaret Neiges noires for Dominic Champagne, and Eugène Ionesco’s Les Chaises for Daniel Roussel. He recently performed the role of Stepan Fedorov in Stanislas Nordey’s production of Les Justes by Albert Camus.

In 2005, he founded two companies (one on each side of the Atlantic) specializing in the development of new work: in Quebec, Abé Carré Cé Carré (which he codirects with Emmanuel Schwartz), and in France, Au Carré de l’Hypoténuse. From 2008 to 2010, he and his France-based company were associated with Espace Malraux, scène nationale de Chambéry et de la Savoie, and in 2009 he was the associated artist at the 63rd annual Avignon Festival, where he presented his tetralogy Le Sang des promesses. In September 2007 he joined the National Arts Centre as artistic director of French Theatre. He is currently working on his “Sophocles Project,” which will culminate in the presentation of all seven tragedies at Mons 2015, European Cultural Capital.

Born in London in 1946, Jane Birkin first goes on stage at the age of 17. Three years later, she attracts attention in Blow-up, Antonioni's scandalous film. In France, Pierre Grimblat is filming Slogan and is looking for a girl to play opposite Serge Gainsbourg. He makes her cry in front of the camera and this is how their mythical love story begins in Paris in 1969. They become inseparable and a living legend when they record Je t'aime moi non plus. Censorship goes wild, the Vatican bans it, the BBC refuses to play the original, doing their own orchestral version. The record then sells a million copies in a matter of months!

Di Doo Dah, her first solo album, is released in 1973. This same year she proves herself as a film actress in J. Rouffio's Sept morts sur ordonnance. After the release of the movie Je t'aime moi non plus in 1975, puritan France is outraged. Jane then records Lolita go home with Philippe Labro's lyrics and Gainsbourg's music. In 1978, Ex-fan des sixties is released.

In 1981, the couple splits up. Gainsbourg, suffering from the separation, writes Baby alone in Babylone for her (Charles Cross award). Jane, a deeply moving interpreter of the writer's inner turmoil, becomes, from then on, to quote her, "his female side" his "fragile half,” singing songs of pain and separation, sawing high with the heart breaking "Fuir le bonheur de peur qu'il ne se sauve", or "Dessous chics".

In 1985, she makes her début in theatre as the countess in Marivaux’s La Fausse Suivante under the great direction of Patrice Chéreau. From this experience, she takes enough courage and self-confidence to get on stage as a singer. Two years later, Jane gives a show at the Bataclan: she cuts off her hair, takes singing lessons, dresses like a boy, and she does it "just wanting to impress Serge.”

In 1990 Gainsbourg dedicates a new album to her: Amours des feintes. He dies the following year. In 1992, after finishing at "La Rochelle", she returns to the intimacy of writing and devotes herself to her family and her humanitarian work. She sings on behalf of Amnesty International, makes a short film for the battle against AIDS, and goes in a tank over the mount Igman, taking supplies and literature into the besieged town Sarajevo.

In 2002 Jane decides to defend in her own way Gainsbourg’s songs, under skies “at the same time Algerian, Andalusian and gypsy.” She is delighted by the idea of introducing him as widely as possible to a young audience. She calls this new show: Arabesque. Philippe Lerichomme, her artistic director and Gainsbourg's, advises her to work with the Algerian violinist Djamel Benyelles whose instrument makes Gainsbourg's songs vibrate to the tune of Arabic interludes. The show Arabesque will be played more than 400 times worldwide.

Besides maintaining her blooming artistic career, Jane Birkin is actively involved with several humanitarian causes, including Haitian and Japanese earthquake relief; the liberation of Aung San Suu Kyi, detained under house arrest by the Burmese junta; support for undocumented immigrants; etc.

Written by
WAJDI MOUAWAD

With
JANE BIRKIN
WAJDI MOUAWAD

Light
ÉRIC CHAMPOUX

Make-up
ANGELO BARSETTI 

Produced by
AU CARRÉ DE L’HYPOTÉNUSE (France) ABÉ CARRÉ CÉ CARRÉ (Quebec)
in collaboration with Le Grand T - Nantes Created for France Culture on July 14, 2009 at the Avignon Festival

Length
Approx. 1 hour 30 min. with no intermission

NAC THEATRE
53 Elgin, Ottawa

Tickets
Adults: $40 +
Students: $18.50 +
Live Rush: $12

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(Monday to Saturday, 10am to 9pm)
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Groups (10 persons or more)
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French Theatre
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