February 13, 2007 -

“To my father, who spent his childhood in a war-torn, sunny land;
and to his ten grandchildren, who thanks to him were born in a peaceful, snowy land.”
– Philippe Soldevila

The National Arts Centre (NAC) French Theatre is proud to present, on February 24 and 25, 2007, one of the most beautiful and touching family shows in years: Conte de la Lune, written and directed by Philippe Soldevila. This charming fable, inspired by the life of the playwright’s father, is freely adapted from the works of Catalan writer Pere Calders (1912–1994). Recommended for ages 8 and older, Conte de la Lune is coproduced by Théâtre des Confettis (celebrating its 30th birthday this year) and Théâtre populaire d’Acadie in association with Théâtre Sortie de Secours. The production premiered at the Centre culturel de Caraquet (New Brunswick) in February 2006 and won the 2006 Masque (award) for Outstanding Production for Young Audiences from the Académie québécoise du théâtre.

an ode to imagination, freedom and poetry

Through a forgotten diary found in an old suitcase, a young man shares his discovery of a turning point in the childhood of his father, a Spanish immigrant who arrived in America a few years ago. The year is 1940, the place a small village in Spain. After five years apart, a father—a former inventor of better worlds, reluctantly recycled into an inventor of things—is reunited with his 10-year-old son Joan, an inventor of words. A few days earlier, Joan woke up with an unfamiliar word on his lips: an unknown word, an unimagined, unimaginable word, a word not found in any dictionary, a word whose meaning is... yet to be discovered. There is poetry in Joan’s words and in his father’s inventions, and together they conspire to reveal something profound, unique, something only the imaginary word can express... for all eternity.

Coproduced by the Théâtre des Confettis (creators of Wigwam and the unforgettable performance/installation Amour, délices et ogre) and the Théâtre populaire d’Acadie (who brought us La petite ombre), Conte de la Lune has been hailed by audiences and critics throughout the Maritimes (Caraquet, Dieppe, Saint-Jean, Quispamsis, Campbellton and Bathurst, NB; Charlottetown and Summerside, PE) and Quebec (Quebec City, Beloeil, Montreal). “More often than not, the most successful theatre experiences sneak up on us quietly, blow us away, then depart just as discreetly, leaving behind an oh-so-enjoyable feeling of enchantment,” wrote Élizabeth Plourde (Cahiers de théâtre Jeu) about this production written and directed by Philippe Soldevila.

Having previously staged the singular Chroniques de la vérité occulte, a collage of texts based on the writings of Pere Calders (staged at Ottawa’s La Nouvelle Scène in 2002, among other venues), Philippe Soldevila—himself the son of Spanish parents—revisits the Catalan writer’s work in this first play for young audiences, freely adapted from four Calders short stories. The result is a deeply personal tale that draws on the history of Soldevila’s own family, especially his father.

Conte de la Lune weaves Calders’ prose and Soldevila’s family story into a compelling dramatic fabric. A celebration of travel in any form, a tender exploration of family ties and shared ideals, the show transports us to a world of life-affirming memories. An ode to imagination, to freedom, to poetry…

“Absolutely one of the best family shows of the year [2006].”
– Isabelle Porter, Le Devoir

“Who could resist this exceptional production?”
– Roger E. Cormier, L’Acadie Nouvelle

“If there’s one thing the Conte de la Lune team can be proud of,
it’s having produced a show that stands out for its intelligence, its sincerity,
and, most important, its complete lack of paternalism.”
– Élizabeth Plourde, Cahiers de théâtre Jeu

“Like the wonderful Italian movie Life is Beautiful, the play opens up a blue sky of hope,
with poetry that chases away the darkest clouds, the deepest pain….
The text is a celebration of beauty—beauty in words, in love, in life.”
– Valérie Lesage, Le Soleil

Conte de la Lune
Written and directed by Philippe Soldevila, based on the short stories of Père Calders / With Christian Essiambre, Daniel Simard and Agnès Zacharie / Assistant director: Hélène Blanchard / Set design: Luc Rondeau and Erica Schmitz / Music and soundscape: Jean-François Mallet / Lighting: Christian Fontaine /
Coproduced by Théâtre des Confettis and Théâtre populaire d’Acadie
in association with Théâtre Sortie de Secours

Saturday, February 24, 2007 at 13:30
and Sunday, February 25, 2007 at 13:30 & 15:30
National Arts Centre / Studio
53 Elgin Street, Ottawa, ON
Recommended for ages 8 and older
Show running time: 60 minutes

Tickets: $12 (children and adults)
Available in person at the NAC Box Office, through Ticketmaster (all outlets or by ‘phone, (613) 755-1111) and online at www.nac-cna.ca.

About playwright and director Philippe Soldevila

Philippe Soldevila is the Artistic Director (since 1989) of Quebec City’s Théâtre Sortie de Secours. His Spanish heritage has shaped his artistic practice and his fascination with other cultures. His directing credits for Théâtre Sortie de Secours include Bhopal by Rahul Varma; Chroniques de la vérité occulte, based on the writings of Père Calders; and Le miel est plus doux que le sang, which he cowrote with Simone Chartrand. He has staged numerous productions in Montreal, Quebec City and Ottawa, including Des fraises en janvier by Evelyne de la Chenelière, Les Parents terribles by Jean Cocteau, and Faust, pantin du diable by Marie-Christine Lê-Huu. He has twice won the Best Director Award (Prix d’excellence des arts et de la culture de la Ville de Québec), in 1996 for Le miel est plus doux que le sang and in 2002 for Le Temple by Pierre-Yves Lemieux, and received the 1998 John Hirsch Prize from the Canada Council for the Arts.

Philippe Soldevila holds a B.A. in French literature from Laval University and a B.A. in theatre from the University of Ottawa, and studied at the Conservatoire d’art dramatique de Québec. In the early years of his career, in the 1980s and 1990s, he frequently worked as an assistant director to Robert Lepage, collaborating with actors and theatre companies from around the world.

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For more information, please contact:
Guy Warin, Communications & Media Relations Officer
National Arts Centre French Theatre
(613) 947-7000, ext. 759
gwarin@nac-cna.ca