Between Virgo and Leo -- La Chevelure de Bérénice lights up the NAC
December 12, 2004 -
“We are all composed of the dust of extinguished stars, and to stardust we shall return,
only to be reborn as stars. The stars are our ancestors.”
– J.M.G. Le Clézio, Mondo (transl.)
Ottawa, Ontario -- The National Arts Centre (NAC) French Theatre is delighted to welcome the latest production from Quebec’s Théâtre de Sable, the marionette theatre that brought us (in collaboration with the Théâtre de la Vieille 17) the amazing Maïta by Esther Beauchemin. Written and directed by Gérard Bibeau, La Chevelure de Bérénice (Bérénice’s Hair) will be presented in the NAC Studio for three shows only: Saturday, December 11 at 13:30 and Sunday, December 12 at 13:30 and 15:30. Young theatregoers (ages 4 to 9) and their families are invited to come along on a fabulous journey to a starry dreamland.
La Chevelure de Bérénice
Felix always wanted to be an astronaut and “dance with the stars”… until an accident robbed him of his sight and shattered his ambition. But does he have to give up all his dreams? What if, thanks to the games he invents and the stories his sister Beatrice tells him, they were to become even bolder, more profound, more beautiful?
This play about the importance of dreams and words is inspired by a poem of the same name by the ancient Greek poet Callimachus (315–240 BCE). Though the original poem has been lost, a Latin translation by the Roman poet Camillus (87–54 BCE) has survived. The people described in the poem are real, but the constellation is pure fiction and has become part of the Egyptian legend of Queen Bérénice, in which the queen’s hair floats up into the starry sky and becomes a new constellation. In the play, the legend concludes the story of Félix and Béatrice.
“Once again, designer and master craftswoman Josée Campanale and director Gérard Bibeau have created a ceremony… whose gentle tale unfolds in episodes that are by turns melancholy, playful, cheery, dramatic, fantastical, or full of a solemnity that crackles with hope.” – Jean St-Hilaire, Le Soleil
Le Théâtre de Sable
After two decades spent working among the Marionettes of the Grand théâtre de Québec, Josée Campanale and Gérard Bibeau founded the Théâtre de Sable in September 1993, and the company quickly established itself as one of Canada’s foremost creators and presenters of theatre for young audiences. Its reputation continues to grow, and the company is widely regarded as an authority on marionette theatre.
The company’s original productions include Maïta (coproduced with the Théâtre de la Vieille 17), Le Violoniste, Le Rêve de Pinocchio, Le Rossignol et l’Empereur de Chine, and et Contes du temps qui passe. In its fifth season the Théâtre de Sable undertook its first European tour; it has since returned three times, and has appeared at Mexico’s Centro Historico festival.
La Chevelure de Bérénice
A Théâtre de Sable (Quebec) production
Written and directed by Gérard Bibeau
Designer, dramaturg and production director: Josée Campanale
Music: Robert Caux / Lighting design: Jean Hazel
Marionette construction, sets and props: Josée Campanale and Réjean Bibeau
Performed by Martin Genest and Agnès Zacharie
Saturday, December 11 at 13:30 and Sunday, December 12 at 13:30 and 15:30 in the NAC Studio
Show running time: 55 minutes
Tickets $11.50 (adults and children)
On sale at the NAC Box Office (no service charges), through Ticketmaster (at all Ticketmaster outlets or by ‘phone, 613-755-1111) or online at www.nac-cna.ca
