And If One Night
By Lisa L’Heureux | Translated by Mishka Lavigne
Running Time:
1 hr 20 min
Characters:
1 M | 3 F
This translation was made possible by a grant from Canada Council for the Arts.
And If One Night
By Lisa L’Heureux | Translated by Mishka Lavigne
Translated from ET SI UN SOIR (Quebec, Canada)
“Modern and poetic…four characters whose desires for true human contact seek to transcend the virtuality of screens and the superficiality of online relationships. …Lisa L’Heureux’s characters use the darkness of night to reveal their true colors. Even if they’re hide behind an avatar or keyboard to communicate…Mia, Danielle, Anita and Joseph emerge from the shadows with courage and clumsiness as believable as it is touching. Her pen rich with accuracy and affection, Lisa L’Heureux portrays a generation in search of self and real, concrete meaning to give to its intimacy. “ – ici.radio-canada.ca
In a grey apartment building, four characters live in a dreamlike space in which time moves forward without moving, sometimes in an offbeat and unsettling way. Written as a fragmented dream, this choral piece draws its inspiration from the night to dive into zones of human intimacy that are often hidden. Here, inaction, the moment that precedes the act, is the root of all tension.
Et si un soir was directed by Lisa L’Heureux, produced by Théâtre Rouge Écarlate with the support of Théâtre du Trillium, Nouvelle Scène Gilles-Desjardins in Ottawa, 2018 and received a residency at Chartreuse-lez-Avignon, France, 2015. It was a shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award French Language Drama 2019, the Prix du livre d’Ottawa (2019) and the Emerging Author Award Prix littéraire Émergence de l’AAOF (2019).
It was the recipient of the Prix littéraire Trillium (2019) and Lisa’s production won the Prix Rideau, Outstanding Production Award.
This translation was made possible by a grant from Canada Council for the Arts.
Et si un soir (2018) | A Théâtre Rouge Écarlate production, with the support of Théâtre du Trillium, presented at La Nouvelle Scène Gilles Desjardins.
Photo credit: Jonathan Lorange
About the playwright
LISA L’HEUREUX
LISA L’HEUREUX (She, her, hers) is an Ottawa-based playwright, director, and dramaturg. She is a graduate of University of Ottawa (B.A. in Theatre and History) and of University of British Columbia (M.A. in Theatre Research). With her company, Théâtre Rouge Écarlate, she has created Ciseaux, Pour l’hiver (Prix Jacques-Poirier 2017), and Et si un soir, cocreated Proximité and directed Projet D. She has had playwright residencies in Belgium (Mariemont, CED-WB), France (La Chartreuse de Villeneuve les Avignon) and with Théâtre du Trillium (Ottawa). She has contributed to many collaborative pieces, such as À quoi ça sert d’être brillant si t’éclaires personne (NAC French Theatre). As a dramaturg, Lisa worked with Satellite Théâtre (Moncton) and with Sudbury playwright Antoine Côté Legault. She is completed a podcast version of Et si un soir.
About the translator
Mishka Lavigne
Translation Showcase
A Glimpse into New Translation: And if one night
FREE EVENT
SUNDAY JUNE 20, 2021
2 PM PACIFIC / 3 PM EASTERN / 8 PM GMT
Featuring Carmina Bernhardt, Lauren Brotman, Chris Francisque & Julie Tamiko Manning | Q&A moderated by Catherine Ballachey
International Translation Workshop: And if one night
Quebecois Quantum
with Presence Theatre (London, UK)
Podcast: Et si un soir
Listen to French language podcast version of Et si un soir. Produced by Lisa L’Heureux in partnership with Transistor Média, Prise de Parole and Théâtre Rouge Écarlate.