PREVIEW
La fille du facteur
(The Postman’s Daughter)
March 20 to 23 and 27 to 30
L’UniThéâtre
La Cité francophone
8627 – 91 St.
Tickets: Single $15 to $30 Visit www.lunitheatre.caor at door
Sometimes a person needs to look backward in order to step forward.
At least that’s the premise of francophone playwright Josée Thibeault’s latest contribution to L’UniThéâtre’s season.
A Trois-Rivières transplant, Thibeault moved to Alberta more than 20 years ago, cementing her status as a touchstone in theatre, radio, music and a web series.
But a little more than four years ago, the francophone artist decided to move back to la belle province to spend time with family.
La fille du facteur (The Postman’s Daughter) is a result of that visit. The one-hour play pays homage to her father, a born dreamer and dedicated mailman who chose to pound the pavement to support his family instead of pursuing the less economically stable fine arts.
“His actions fuelled Josée’s imagination and he helped connect her to her creativity,” said artistic director Joëlle Prefontaine. “He probably could have been an artist. In a lot of ways, she thanks him for allowing her to dream. It takes a special person to do that.”
Raised in Legal, Prefontaine directs the world premiere of this one-woman show starring Thibeault. It runs March 20 to 23 and 27 to 30 at L’UniThéâtre located inside La Cité francophone.
Thibeault first moved to Banff as a young 21-year-old, eventually growing into a creative and well-respected ambassador of Alberta’s francophone culture. Adventurous by nature, she moved west simply to check out the greener pastures and stayed for 20 years.
“When she was 40 – in 2012 – she moved back to Montreal. This play is based on that trajectory – Trois-Rivières, Banff, Edmonton, Montreal.”
When Prefontaine read the script, she was struck by the dialogue’s vulnerability and craftsmanship.
“It’s how she describes certain moments when her parents were diagnosed with cancer. It’s how she talks about her love for Edmonton, and why Edmonton is important to her and what it gives her art. And she talks about why she couldn’t go home before.”
The 90-minute solo theatre performance combines spoken word poetry, monologues and multi-media projections. Raphaël Freynet, one of L’UniThéâtre’s longtime designers, has created new music and a backdrop from public domain images and other graphic elements.
English surtitles are part of every performance. La fille du facteur’s official opens Friday, March 22. However on the Thursday, March 21, preview night, a talkback will immediately follow the performance.
