September 04, 2007 -

Ottawa -- The second edition of the Festival Zones Théâtrales ("Theatre Zones Festival"), produced by the National Arts Centre (NAC) French Theatre, will take place September 6–15, 2007 in various locations throughout Ottawa-Gatineau. This biennial event, a showcase for professional Francophone theatre artists and productions from "theatre zones" across Canada and Quebec, will effectively transform the National Capital Region into a giant "theatre zone" over the ten days of the event. Ten days of ebullient creativity to launch the NAC French Theatre's 2007–08 season!
Throughout the Festival Zones Théâtrales, the National Arts Centre Fourth Stage will become a Zone de libre-échange ("Interactive Zone") for lectures, round tables, and readings. Start time for all events is 14:00 and admission is free.
Note: All presentations will be in French.

LECTURES

L'Artiste, le théâtre et la communauté
with guest speaker Eudore Belzile,
actor, director, and artistic director of the Théâtre les gens d'en bas, a professional theatre company founded in 1973 in Le Bic,  a village of some 2,800 souls in the Lower St. Lawrence region of Quebec. Under Mr. Belzile's direction, the company has put down solid roots in the community and is recognized as an important centre for creation and production.
September 7 at 14:00.

Les Arts et l'épanouissement des collectivités francophones en situation minoritaire
with guest speaker Graham Fraser, Canadian Commissioner of Official Languages.
The publication in spring 2006 of Sorry, I Don't Speak French by journalist and essayist Graham Fraser immediately caught the attention of anyone concerned with the situation and importance of the French language in Canada. The French version of the book was recently published by Boréal under the title Sorry! I don't speak French ou Pourquoi quarante ans de politiques linguistiques au Canada n'ont rien réglé… ou presque.
September 11 at 14:00.

ROUND TABLES

NEW Le Conseil des Arts du Canada et le théâtre des francophonies canadiennes : perspectives d'avenir
Participants to be announced.
The Canada Council for the Arts turned 50 this year. Does the Council fill a unique role vis à vis French-speaking theatre artists in Canada? What challenges lie ahead? Who are the key players, and what must they do to ensure that Canada's French-speaking theatre community continues to develop and is equipped to meet those challenges? A round table discussion presented jointly by the Association des théâtres francophones du Canada, the Canada Council for the Arts, and Festival Zones Théâtrales.
September 12 at 14:00.

L'identité franco-canadienne est-elle soluble dans la montréalité et si oui, en combien de temps?
Participants:

• Joël Beddows, stage director and artistic director of Théâtre la Catapulte (Ottawa, ON)
• Yves Frenette, director of the Centre for Research on French Canadian Culture, University of Ottawa (Ottawa, ON)
• Mélanie Léger, playwright and co-artistic director of Théâtre Alacenne (Moncton, NB)
• André Perrier, stage director and artistic director of the Théâtre Triangle Vital (Montreal, QC)
• Marc Prescott, playwright (Winnipeg, MB)

September 14 at 14:00. Presented in partnership with Théâtre Action.

READINGS

SLAGUE : L'histoire d'un mineur (Spitting Slag)
by Mansel Robinson, translated by Jean Marc Dalpé, directed by Geneviève Pineault.
A mining town in northern Ontario. Alone in his kitchen, a man—trapped in a wheelchair since a mining accident left him crippled—sits drinking. He drinks and he talks. Not about the accident, but about the man who killed his son. Just beneath his feet lies the mine; just beneath his words lies revenge. A mine, once the minerals have been removed, spits slag. What happens to a life once the meaning has been removed?
September 8 at 14:00.
Presented in association with the Centre des auteurs dramatiques (CEAD).

Charles et Berthin
by Stephan Cloutier, directed by Isabelle Bélisle.
Paris, 1672. Versailles, 1663. Pézenas, 1655. Moving backwards in time, we witness the disintegration, the growing intensity and the very beginning of the relationship between Charles Varlet de la Grange, an actor in Molière's company and the troupe's meticulous administrator, and a flamboyant adventurer by the name of Berthin Rabussin. Never far away are the two women who love and desire them: Catherine Leclerc and Marie Ragueneau. How can two men love at a time when no words exist to name the feelings and actions (punishable by death) that bind them together?
September 9 at 14:00.
Presented in association with the Centre des auteurs dramatiques (CEAD).

Une maison face au Nord
by Jean-Rock Gaudreault, directed by Esther Beauchemin.
Chicoutimi, present day. Henri built his life with his own two hands (literally and figuratively). Now in the twilight of that life, he feels circumstances closing in on him: the heritage he has struggled to construct and the country he has always dreamed of are losing their meaning, slowly fading away. Between a son charged with stock market fraud (now living in exile in Boston), a young Guatemalan worker, and an elderly Pole, and under the measured gaze of his wife, Henri stoically tries to make sense of his crumbling world—until one day…
September 10 at 14:00.
Presented in association with the Centre des auteurs dramatiques (CEAD)
and in coproduction with Théâtre de la Vieille 17.

Le Projet Rideau / The Rideau Project
Ever since the two festivals were founded, the Magnetic North Theatre Festival and the Festival Zones Théâtrales have wanted to collaborate on a common venture featuring Ottawa-Gatineau artists. With the help of Théâtre la Catapulte, that vision has finally taken shape as the Rideau Project: six short plays—three in English, three in French—commissioned from six local playwrights: Pierre Brault, Patrick Gauthier, Sarah Migneron, Luc Moquin, John Ng and Michel Ouellette. Magnetic North and the FZT are proud to present readings of these six fascinating works in progress.
September 13 at 14:00 in the NAC Salon (this event only).
Presented in association with the Magnetic North Theatre Festival and Théâtre la Catapulte.

Laura de Montréal
by Mélanie Léger, directed by Anne-Marie White.
Montreal, present day. Laura and Catherine are two aspiring actresses with little work and less money. Every hard-earned dime goes into the rent for their flat on the Plateau Mont-Royal—there's not even enough left over to get their answering machine repaired. They daren't go out: God forbid they should miss a call from the casting agency… To make matters worse, the Plateau isn't what it used to be: it's being taken over by Acadians, who have discovered its charms while vacationing in Montreal. Lo and behold, if an Acadian actress doesn't move into the apartment right next to theirs. For sure, she's going to get all the good parts...
September 15 at 14:00.
Presented in association with the Centre des auteurs dramatiques (CEAD).

Festival Zones Théâtrales
Thursday, Sept. 6 through Saturday, Sept. 15, 2007
in various "zones" throughout Ottawa-Gatineau:
National Arts Centre, La Nouvelle Scène,
Arts Court, University of Ottawa Academic Hall,
La Basoche and Le Petit Chicago
Download a free festival brochure from http://zones.nac-cna.ca

The NAC French Theatre gratefully acknowledges the support of Festival Zones Théâtrales partners:

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For more information, please contact:
Guy Warin, Communications and Media Relations Officer
French Theatre, Canada's National Arts Centre
613-947-7000 or 1 866 850-2787, ext. 759
gwarin@nac-cna.ca