On March 31, the play De la plume à la scène premiered at Studio 16. Here's a look back at a performance full of surprises.
Yesterday, the first performance of De la plume à la scène drew over 100 people. Studio 16 was packed to the rafters for the premiere, which ended with a standing ovation from the audience.
"It's one of the best plays I've ever seen in my life," testified an audience member during the Q&A that followed the play.
Seven amateur actors trained for several months to give voice to the writings produced during the À Portée de plume project. The 82 letters exchanged anonymously between members of La Boussole and 9th-grade teenagers were the subject of a touching show. Themes range from environmental protection to poverty, with the isolation and loneliness inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic at the heart of the action. The show is structured into 16 sketches based on anonymous texts.
With the help of Magda Ochoa, we have recruited a troupe of committed actors who bring to the stage the values of social justice that La Boussole holds dear.
"I found the initial project very beautiful, and I'm happy to be able to put the spotlight on people who are so often in the shadows," confides Léopoldine LeBouchard, one of the project's actresses.
"I took part in the letter-writing project, and having the chance to hear my own and my interlocutor's writings really moved me," commented one À portée de plume participant.
A documentary will be available on the Webouest platform in the next few weeks.
Our warmest thanks to the partners of the De la plume à la scène project for their contributions and support. La Boussole acknowledges the financial support of the Department of Canadian Heritage
We would also like to thank Théâtre la Seizième and the Conseil culturel et artistique francophone de la Colombie-Britannique for their invaluable advice.
Many thanks to our volunteers, in particular Camille Le Guellec and Nathalie Astruc for their support throughout the project.
Finally, we'd like to thank our members and the students at Collingwood School in West Vancouver for their participation in the À Portée de Plume project. We're happy to give your words the reach they deserve.
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Credits:
Original work by Collingwood School students and members of La Boussole
Playwright: Nathalie Lopez
Adapted, directed and staged by Magda Ochoa
Acting and writing: Camille Le Guellec, Léopoldine Le Bouchard, Slim Rouissi, William Amorin, Macy Doumbia, Marianne Ollitrault, Nathalie Astruc, Benjamin Doudard
Vocals and compositions: Nathalie Astruc and Slim Rouissi
Superhero Rap arrangement: Erin Kelly
Editing and effects: Julian Borderas-Ochoa
Partial use of original songs: Blackbird, by Emma Stevens - À nous, by Noé Preszow
