The National Arts Centre English Theatre launches the 2003-2004 International Reading Series
October 30, 2003 -
Presented by the National Arts Centre English Theatre as part of a special collaboration with The Banff playRites Colony's France/Banff Translation Exchange, the National Arts Centre French Theatre, and with the generous assistance of the Embassy of France in Canada
Ottawa -- The National Arts Centre English Theatre is excited to welcome widely acclaimed Beninese playwright José Pliya, along with translator/dramaturg Maureen Labonté, for the World Premiere of the english language translation of Pliya's critically lauded play Le Complexe de Thénardier. Translated by Maureen Labonté and dramaturged by Linda Gaboriau at Banff, The Last Morning will be read by a cast of two, directed by former Banff Centre Theatre Arts Artistic Director, Keith Turnbull. The reading takes place on Wednesday, November 5 at 19:30 in the NAC's Fourth Stage. Tickets are $10/$5 for students, available at the National Arts Centre Box Office.
About the Playwright:
Born in Benin in 1966, playwright José Pliya is a force to be reckoned with. Actor, Director, and Dramaturg, Pliya is leading the vanguard of young, fresh voices in playwrighting, and is the author of a dozen acclaimed plays, translated and in performance on five continents. He is the founder of the Franco-Creole Theatre Festival of the Carribean, and was awarded the prize for Best Contemporary Author 2003 by the Association of Students of Theatre. His work in its entirety and, in specific, Le Complexe de Thénardier, have been recognized with the prestigious Académie Francaise "prix du jeune théâtre" 2003. Mr. Pliya is excited to be making his first visit to Ottawa for the English-language premiere reading of The Last Morning.
About the Translator:
Maureen Labonté, Program Dramaturg at the Banff PlayRites Colony and translator of Le Complexe de Thénardier, is also Associate Director of play development at the Shaw Festival. Maureen has translated over twenty-five plays and was head of the Playwriting program at the National Theatre School from 1997-2001. She established and ran the school's pilot directing program. Maureen lived and worked in the Ottawa theatre community for fifteen years. She ran Penguin Theatre and as Program Coordinator at the Atelier, she founded the Young Playwrights Showcase in 1985.
About the France/Banff Translation Exchange:
The France/Banff Translation Exchange is a reciprocal translation program. The Banff Centre selects a play to be translated from French into English from a short list put forward by the Maison Antoine Vitez in France. The selected playwright and his or her designated translator spend two to three weeks in residence during the Banff playRites Colony. Reciprocally, a Canadian playwright is hosted by Maison Antoine Vitez for two to three weeks in France, where he or she and a designated translator participate in a workshop leading up to a staged reading of the selected play in French translation.
About the Banff playRites Colony:
The Banff playRites Colony is an artist-defined program designed to meet the specific needs of each participating playwright. Playwrights select specific dramaturgs to work on their projects. If the playwright's chosen dramaturg is not available, the Colony appoints a senior dramaturg to work on the project according to the playwright's needs and desires. Creative dialogue is encouraged among playwrights who are at different stages in the writing process and at different stages in their careers. Playwrights, if they desire, may also have shared access to a small company of professional actor/readers. The Colony is presented through an alliance of The Canada Council for the Arts, Alberta Theatre Projects and The Banff Centre.
