October 15, 2004 -

OTTAWA -- Stretching the tension between comedy and tragedy to new extremes, Victoria is a tender and loving look at aging which will be performed in the Theatre of the National Arts Centre on Thursday, October 28 (in English), Friday, October 29 (in French), and Saturday, October 30 (in English) at 20:30. With the comedic brilliance of Carol Burnett and Lily Tomlin, Dulcinea Langfelder brings to the stage an entertaining and unforgettable portrayal of aging. Victoria, who has lost much of her memory but not her zest for life, inspires us as she celebrates her 90th birthday. This spellbinding performance blends past and present, theatre and dance, celebrating life’s small victories in a tribute to living in the moment. Dulcinea Langfelder weaves video, music, text, and a multitude of artistic disciplines into a world which is both immensely moving and deeply funny. You’ll laugh and you’ll cry -- a lot. Victoria is co-presented by NAC Dance, NAC English Theatre, and NAC French Theatre.

Victoria is staged and performed by Dulcinea Langfelder, based on an original idea and texts by Charles Fariala. The production and its creators have been much in the news recently, following the untimely death of Mr. Fariala. Ms Langfelder has been quoted as saying that, given the tragedy and irony of Mr. Fariala’s fate, the upcoming performances of Victoria will be the most soulful in the seven-year history of the show, which has toured the world.

Montreal-based Dulcinea Langfelder was described by The Globe and Mail as a “theatrical dervish,” an artist whose imagination and creative energy seem unfettered by the limitations of genre or expectation. Her ability to communicate what is profound about the human experience with humour, infinite tenderness and respect have earned her the admiration and acclaim of audiences and critics worldwide. As Langfelder says about Victoria, “Imagine accepting that each moment is a chance to start over. Imagine being unhindered by memory. Victoria has lost her memory; she’s lost her pussycat, she’s lost control over her life ... and her bladder. She has lost almost everything. Victoria is but a shadow of herself -- a character who has forgotten her role, a puppet who adapts and adopts comic and dramatic situations as her imagination dictates. Her wheelchair is also her rocking chair, her prison, her tango partner, and her flying chariot. Living isn’t easy and neither is dying, but it is all interlaced with moments of great richness... little victories. Victoria savours every moment. I was glad to find a bit of myself in her.”

“She can play the clown as well as she can move you to tears. She’s often been compared to Chaplin. Dulcinea occupies a place apart in the dance-theatre landscape.”

“I haven’t seen a fusion of performer and artifice so clean, so magical, well … ever.”

“A beautifully told, magnificently performed tour-de-force by a woman who should rightfully be known from coast to coast. Those who saw Victoria will never forget her.

“In this work, Dulcinea Langfelder takes on an almost impossible challenge…Her performance proves that there is no human situation that is not accessible to artistic intervention, as long as the artist approaches it with a true offering of herself.”

“A not-to-be-missed tale of death and dying handled with tenderness, respect and - believe it or not – humour as only Dulcinea Langfelder can …Teetering on the brink of physical and emotional impossibility, Victoria is her best work yet.”

“Wow. It’s one of those works that you take like a punch: a punch in the gut; a love at first sight.”

Dulcinea Langfelder performs Victoria in the Theatre of the National Arts Centre on Thursday October 28, Friday October 29 (in French), and Saturday October 30, 2004 at 20:30. Tickets are $40, $37 and $29, and $21, $19.50, and $15.50 for students (upon presentation of a valid student ID card). Tickets are available at the NAC Box Office (in person) and through Ticketmaster (with surcharges) at (613) 755-1111; Ticketmaster may also be accessed through the NAC’s web-site at www.nac-cna.ca. Last-minute tickets (subject to availability) for full-time students are $9.50 at the Live Rush Centre in the NAC Foyer after 18:00 on the day of performance only, upon presentation of a valid `Live Rush’ card. Two student matinees will also be presented at 12:30 on Thursday October 28 (in English) and on Friday October 29 (in French) – more information on student matinees is available from Andrée Larose at 947-7000, x332.

Photos for all NAC events can be viewed and downloaded at: www.nac-cna.ca/media/

Information:
Gerald Morris
Marketing and Media Relations,
NAC Dance Department
(613) 947-7000, ext. 249
gmorris@nac-cna.ca

DULCINEA LANGFELDER
Born in New York, Dulcinea Langfelder studied dance for much of her life, then mime with the master, Étienne Decroux, in Paris. She has studied theatre with Eugenio Barba and Yoshi Oida (a longtime colleague of Peter Brook).  She came to Montreal in 1978 to work with the troupe Omnibus, then briefly with Carbone 14. She founded her company in 1985, and has created full length, multidisciplinary works that have toured extensively in four continents. Vicious Circle (1985), The Lady Next Door (1989), Hockey! O.K.? (1991), Portrait of a Woman with Suitcase (1994) and Victoria (1999) are her major works. Quand le Vautour Danse (1997) written by Abla Farhoud, was a co-production with Le Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui. Enjoying her artistic liberty, she works in theatre, in cinema, in music and in musical theatre as choreographer and/or actress. Her versatility and her inspired performances garnered her the ‘Personality of the Year in Dance’, an honour given by the Montreal daily La Presse in 1990. The thread that intertwines all of her work and makes it unique is an inspiration driven by her extensive search for lightness as a reaction to the weight of living. Using lightness, she is continually searching for a level of perception in which we find the courage to confront the all too often tragicomical reality of the human condition. Dulcinea Langfelder & Co. exists to create and to perform works that break disciplinary and cultural barriers in order to communicate on a profound level with a large and varied audience.