Western Gold Theatre

in association with Bouche Theatre Collective
& The Canadian Play Thing

Virtual Gold

Western Gold presents a series of FREE online presentations, podcasts, and creative workshops to help keep you engaged and entertained during these challenging times.

Click here for Western Gold Theatre’s most recent Virtual Gold offerings!

FREE EVENT

DATE

Sunday, August 29, 2021

TIME

PT: 2 PM
MT: 3 PM
CT: 4 PM
ET: 5 PM
AT: 6PM

RUNNING TIME

1 hr 20 mins with talk back to follow

HOW TO ATTEND

Click the link below at showtime to access the presentation on Zoom

CLICK HERE at showtime

Online venue opens 5 minutes prior to start. Capacity 100. Latecomers welcome – audience does not appear on screen.

Western Gold Theatre

In association with Bouche Theare Collective
& The Canadian Play Thing

WESTERN GOLD:
THE BALLAD OF GEORGES BOIVIN

By Martin Bellemare | Translated by Jack Paterson
Translated from LE CHANT DE GEORGES BOIVIN (Quebec, Canada)

Featuring Paul Beckett, Jay Brazeau, John Innes and Allan Morgan
Translation Dramaturgy by Johanna Nutter.

“…a theatrical road-movie brimming with vulnerability…the play destroys any prejudice that older people are devoid of passionate. Even after great loss, love is possible.” – Alix Forgeot, L-Express.ca

“Admirably well-constructed, Le chant de Georges Boivin intimately reveals the experiences of an elderly person with great finesse and delicacy.” – Jury of Prix Gratien-Gélinas 2009

At 77, Georges Boivin “gives the dice a roll”. Georges just lost his wife, you see, the “centre of his universe”. He’s terrified “he’s no longer exists for anyone”. But there is life after 70 and it must continue even after great loss. With his three friends, all the same age as he, he sets out on road trip from Québec to Vancouver, in search of his first love who he hasn’t seen in 50 years.

Join us after the reading for a conversation with the playwright and translator.

This translation and workshop were made possible by grants from Canada Council for the Arts. Artists appear courtesy of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association under the Dance Opera Theatre Agreement.  This  project is produced with the co-operation of the UBCP/ACTRA.

Le chant de Georges Boivin featuring legendary québécois actor Pierre Collin.
Directed Mario Borges and produced by Les productions Kléos (2012-2015).

Georges Boivin’s Journey 

“Le Chant de Georges Boivin is a precious gift. A “beautiful adventure” for a senior artist…” – Isabelle Houde, Le Soleil

LE CHANT DE GEORGES BOIVIN has been presented at Théâtre du Rideau vert (Montréal, 2010), Théâtre de la Huchette (Paris, 2011), and la Maison-des-Arts (Laval, 2011) with Théâtre Bluff.

2013/14, a production directed by Mario Borges and featuring well known francophone actor Pierre Collin (above), was seen across Quebec and francophone communities across Canada from Community and Senior Centres to the National Arts Centre (Ottawa).

Meet our Playwrights & Translator

About the playwright

Martin Bellemare

(He, Him, His)

A graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada’s writing program, Martin Bellemare was awarded the 2009 Gratien Gélinas Prize for Le Chant de Georges Boivin. La Liberté was presented at La Rubrique (Jonquière) in 2013 and in Montreal in 2015, and was scheduled to be staged in Ottawa in 2020. Maître Karim la perdrix (2018 Prix SACD de la dramaturgie francophone, awarded by the Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques) will premiere at the Théâtre des Capucins in Luxembourg in 2021. Moule Robert (CNL Scholarship, shortlisted for the 2017 Prix SACD de la dramaturgie francophone and the 2018 Michel Tremblay Prize) was produced simultaneously at La Rubrique and at the POCHE/ GVE in Geneva, then at the Théâtre de Belleville in Paris. Martin is a four-time recipient of the Aide à la création grant from the Centre national du Théâtre/ARTCENA in Paris, and two of his plays are included in the repertoire of the Comédie-Française. Two of his plays for young audiences, Un château sur le dosand Des pieds et des mains, which was first produced at the NAC, have toured in Canada and internationally. In 2019, Extraordinaire et mystérieux and Charlie et le djingpouite were produced, and Cœur minéral premiered at the Francophonies in Limoges. The latter play was scheduled for a Montreal production in 2020. Martin was one of the five playwrights nominated for Canada’s leading theatre awarsd the 2020 Siminovitch Prize.

About the translator

Jack Paterson

(He, Him, His)

Jack Paterson is a Vancouver director, devisor, dramaturge, translator, and creative producer whose practice has taken him across Canada, UK and around the world. Projects have ranged from contemporary devising, cross-cultural, multilingual, and multi-disciplinary experiences, new creations, text and translations development to main stage and classical theatre in post drama and contemporary forms. Jack trained at leading international institutions including Circle in Square (NYC, USA), GITIS The University of Performing Arts (Moscow, RU), The Indonesian Institute of the Performing Arts (Denpasar, IND) and received his MFA in Theatre Direction from the renowned East 15 Acting School & The University of Essex (London, UK). He is a recipient of “The Ray Michal Award for Outstanding Body of Work”, “The Cole Foundation Award for Emerging Translators” and “The John Moffat & Larry Lillo Award for Outstanding West Coast Artist”. www.JackPatersonTheatre.com

Meet the workshop team

Paul Beckett (He, Him, his)

Paul Beckett has been out of the theatre scene due in a large part to the pandemic. But over this time, Paul has been finding his way with writing. Please keep your eyes peeled and your ears open for he and his partner’s one-act play “The Village Girl and the Frog King”, which will be airing are a radio production on Vancouver Co-operative Radio, CFRO. The play which probably brought Paul his greatest attention was a one-man show solo piece about the late 19th century Parisian artist, Henri de Toulouse Lautrec. That had to be about thirty years ago. Currently, he is working under CAEA contract to workshop the translation of Quebec writer Martin Bellemare’s piece about 4 men, seniors, driving from Montreal to Vancouver in search of a long-lost love.

Jay Brazeau (He, Him, HIS)

Jay Brazeau has been featured in dozens of films and many more TV series and specials, best known for his role as Sam Fisher in Cold Squad, as Harlan in Stargate SG-1, and for voicing Uncle Quigley in Sabrina: The Animated Series, and as Bobby in Double Jeopardy, as Referee in the Air Bud Films, and his film role in We’re No Angels. A busy stage actor, credits include Duddy and Brighton Beach Memoirs (The Citadel), Moonlight and Magnolias and Other People’s Money (Vancouver Playhouse); Urinetown (Firehall Arts Centre); Hairspray (Mirvish), ); The Producers (Arts Club Theatre); Fiddler on the Roof (The Rubicon Theatre, California) and “Man in chair” in the Drowsy Chaperone (National Arts Centre).

Allan Morgan (He, Him, HIS)

Allan Morgan has been a professional actor for more than 30 years, with his home in Vancouver. He is currently one of the artists in residence at the Massey theatre in New Westminster. Allan’s acting work has taken him across the country, and he has been the recipient of numerous awards for his work. He has also written two one-person shows: Pride for the Young Gay, the Un-Gay and the Jaded Queen in All of Us, as well as, I Walked the Line.

John Innes (He, Him, HIS)

John Innes was an early graduate of the National Theatre School (’67). He has performed in every major regional theatre in Canada, including 12 seasons with the Stratford Shakespeare Festival where he received a Tyrone Guthrie Award twice. He has also performed in regional theatres in the United States including 3 seasons with the Denver Center Theatre Company. In all, he has been a working actor for over 55 years.

Dramaturg: Johanna Nutter (Elle, She, Her, Hers)

Johanna Nutter is artistic director of creature/creature, a polymorphic company born of Nutter’s passion for blurring lines between established divisions. Her work has toured extensively throughout her home province of Quebec, across Canada and internationally, in both English and French, to such venues as Soho Theatre (London), The Pleasance (Edinburgh), Les Halles (Brussels), and La Licorne (Montreal). She won the PWM/Cole Emerging Translator award and brought CHLORINE (Longpré & Michon), which produced and directed at The Centaur (Brave New Looks 2016). She is currently working on texts by Annick Lefèbvre, Guillaume Corbeil, and Étienne Lepage.

AGEING IN THE ARTS CO-ORDINATOR : DR. JULIA HENDERSON (SHE, HER, HERS)

Julia Henderson has a PhD in Theatre Studies from the University of British Columbia; her disserta-tion explored how theatre and performance practices contribute to cultural constructions of aging and old age in contemporary North American theatre. She is now a SSHRC-funded Postdoctoral Fellow with Concordia University where her research focuses on the Imagination Network of Gibsons’ Raising the Curtain project, a community-engaged initiative that involves collaborative creation with people with the lived experience of dementia. Julia’s research on dramaturgies of age offers insights on how dramatic structure, design, staging, performance style, and marketing might influence understandings of ages across the life course. She is Vice Chair of the North American Network in Aging Studies and on the Governing Board of Concordia University’s Ageing + Communication + Technologies Project. Her work on ageing and theatre has been published in Theatre Research in Canada, The Journal of American Drama and Theatre, Theatre Journal, Canadian Theatre Review, Age, Culture, Humanities, RIDE: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance, and the Thornton Wilder Journal. Recently, Julia has guest-edited an upcoming issue of Theatre Research in Canada titled “Age and Performance: Expanding Intersectionality”— the first to address the topic of age.

Assistant Director: Hannah Siden (SHE, HER, HERS)

Hannah is a filmmaker, writer, actor, and yoga teacher. She is currently based in Vancouver, BC.  Most recently, she wrote and directed the short film Breathing Easy over Zoom, featuring Arts Club regulars Agnes Tong and Anita Wittenberg. She also directed, produced, and co-edited a music video for singer-songwriter David Beckingham in collaboration with Ballet BC, Plastic Wings. Her latest short screenplay, Tumbling, is a Semi-Finalist at the 2021 HollyShorts Screenplay Contest.  She holds a BA in International Development Studies from McGill University, an MA in Acting from East 15 Acting School, and a postgraduate filmmaking diploma from the London Film Academy. She also holds a 200hr yoga teaching certification from Semperviva Yoga. www.hannahsiden.com

* Artists appear courtesy of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association under the Dance Opera Theatre Agreement and the UBCP/ACTRA ULB Agreement.

About our Partners

About Western Gold Theatre

Western Gold Theatre is the premier company in the country focused on sharing and celebrating the talents of senior professional theatre artists (age 55+). Western Gold also mentors emerging younger professional artists as they ‘share the boards’ with us. We are a vibrant creative gathering place for artists and audiences, young and old. www.westerngoldtheatre.org

About The Canadian Play Thing

The Canadian Play Thing is a playwright-centred virtual theatre that shares live readings of new and under-produced Canadian plays online. The goal is to support and celebrate the work of playwrights, and to connect our theatre family across the country. Artists and audiences around the world are welcome. www.plaything.ca

Resources: Francophone Canadian Theatre

About Centre des auteurs dramatique

An association of authors serving authors, CEAD is a centre for the support, promotion and dissemination of French-language dramaturgy here. It occupies a unique place both in terms of the number of authors it brings together and the objectives of quality and innovation it pursues. www.cead.qc.ca

About Playwrights’ Workshop Montreal

Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal is a new creation development centre. PWM gives artists the opportunity to create and experiment, dream and take risks, fail and try again. Our dynamic collaborative process draws on our team’s unique expertise and is tailored to the artist’s individual needs. At PWM, playwrights, dramaturgs, translators, directors, performance artists, and theatre companies across the country find a creative accomplice willing to invest deeply in the development of meaningful work. www.playwrights.ca

Special

Thank You