Bouche Theatre Collective

Speak Beyond Language

This translation was made possible by a grant from Canada Council for the Arts.

THE LOVING GAZE OF LOST BOYS

By Eric Noel
Translated by Rhiannon Collett
Translated from Ces regards amoureux de garçons altérés

After spending 60 hours in room 158 of a gay sauna in Montreal, a man wakes up disoriented, drained, broken. What happened? In this tiny space transformed into a theater of confession, he retraces the events of the last few years, the last few hours. Struck down by the acute pain of romantic grief, he surrenders himself entirely to his deepest desires, struggling with his loss and his desire to disappear, until he is dispossessed of his body.

This inexorable speech, propelled by crystal meth, echoes a distress that is too often invisible in the queer community through a chapter in the life of a being who needs to sink completely before resurfacing into the light of day. Both a raw and and romantic play that honestly exposes the specter of addiction.

Meet the Playwright & Translator

About the playwright

Eric Noel

(Iel)

Eric Noel (they, them) is a Quebecois playwright and graduate of NTS French language writing program. They are the author of Faire des enfants (2009), Tirade pour Henri (2010), Ces regards amoureux de garçons altérés (2015) and L’Amoure Looks Something Like You (2020). They are also the author of a libretto for an opera by Vincent-Olivier Gagnon, Sans électricité, les oiseaux disparaissent (2009), and the children’s theatre piece La Mère, le Père, le Petit et le Grand (2012). They also adapted Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince for Theatre La Roulotte Asteroid B612 (2018).

About the translator

Rhiannon Collett

(They, Them)

Rhiannon Collett is an award-winning non-binary playwright, performer, director and translator based in Montreal and Toronto. Their work explores the ritualization of grief, gender performativity, queer/trans identity and the psychological effects of sexual objectification. Selected playwriting credits include Miranda & Dave Begin Again (2016 Playwrights Guild of Canada RBC Emerging Playwright Award); Wasp; The Kissing Game); Tragic Queens; La Somnambule (an immersive, site-specific adaptation of Djuna Barnes’ Nightwood); The Revolutions (commissioned and produced by Spiderwebshow, a cross-country collaboration featuring artists broadcast live from Montreal, Toronto, Kingston and Vancouver); There are No Rats in Alberta. Their theatre criticism has been featured in The Globe and Mail, Now Magazine, Intermission Magazine and HowlRound. www.rhiannoncollett.com

Related Projects & News 

Artists in Conversation – Contemporary Writing in Canada & USA

Artists in Conversation – Contemporary Writing in Canada & USA

Tues, Feb 23 at 14:30 PST | Free
Co-writers Marie-Ève Milot and Marie-Claude St-Laurent with translator Rhiannon Collett join Brittany K. Allen (Studio Theatre, Washington USA) and Keith Barker (Playwrights Guild of Canada) in conversation and introduce excerpts from their latest works.