Château sans roi by Joël da Silva -- A majestic set, 32 marionettes, and a whole world of fantasy and imagination!
October 31, 2002 -
Ottawa, Ontario -- On Saturday, November 2 and Sunday,
November 3, 2002, the National Arts Centre (NAC) French Theatre will
present Château sans roi by Joël da Silva, directed
by Michel Fréchette. This Théâtre de
l'Avant-Pays (Montreal) production is performed by puppeteers
Patrick Martel, Marie-Hélène Morazain, Louis-Philippe
Paulhus and Marc-André Roy.
This is the strange and true story of Monsieur, a man who has
forgotten his own name. He lives in a big house, where in a prominent
place is carved the phrase "The King is coming." Monsieur has been
preparing for this visit for a long time, but it keeps being
postponed - the King, who is supposed to knight him and give
him a new name, never comes. Monsieur has been waiting for so long
that he can't even remember who he is when at last the King
arrives! But it's not the King, it's an impostor, whose
name - Petitmosus Rex - says it all, and who takes full
advantage of Monsieur's gullibility.
First presented in 1997, Château sans roi stars 32
marionettes of all shapes, sizes and types: hand puppets, rod puppets
and marottes à main prenante (combination rod and hand
puppets). Set and puppet designer Patrick Martel has created a
magnificent château that does double duty as a backdrop and a
castle. Full of humour, beauty and imagination, Château sans
roi invites us to consider the difficult search for identity.
Joël da Silva, Playwright
Writer, director, musician and actor, Joël da Silva builds
his plays on discovery and exploration, shaping an imaginary world
that is playful, whimsical and colourful, full of mystery and
riddles. Château sans roi (1997) was his first play for
the Théâtre de l'Avant-Pays: their fruitful
collaboration continued with Le Petit Bon à rien
(1999) and Les Gardiens du feu (2002), both of which have
been presented at the NAC to delighted audiences.
Le Théâtre de l'Avant-Pays
Founded in Montreal in 1976, the Théâtre de
l'Avant-Pays is a vibrant creative centre for the art of puppet
and marionette theatre. In 28 original productions over 26 years, the
company has made a major contribution to the creation, development
and expansion of puppet and marionette theatre. The
Théâtre de l'Avant-Pays has visited towns and
festivals from Quebec and Ontario to New Brunswick by way of France,
Belgium, Germany and the United States, winning unanimous praise for
the originality and artistic excellence of its productions. Longtime
collaborators Michel Fréchette and Michel P. Ranger, currently
Artistic Director and Administrative Director respectively, also
brought us the now-classic Impertinence and the hilarious
Charlotte Sicotte.
