>>PREVIEW
LIVING MEMORY (MÉMOIRE VIVE)
Théâtre Les Deux Mondes
High Performance Rodeo
Runs January 10 to 13
Vertigo Playhouse (Tower Centre)
The holidays may be over, but with Living Memory, Montreal troupe Théâtre Les Deux Mondes is still carrying toys, Santa-like, around the world.
Every year, One Yellow Rabbit generously embraces the artistic experimentation of Quebec artists at the Rodeo. While Les Deux Mondes may not be as well known as past visitors like Marie Chouinard or Marie Brassard, they’ve been carving out a name for themselves in every nook and cranny of Quebec’s humid hills and on all four corners of the map.
Artistic director Daniel Meilleur founded Les Deux Mondes in the early 1970s. After spending 30-some years performing and directing for the company, it’s abundantly clear to him that Les Deux Mondes (like One Yellow Rabbit) has historically been a company of risk, forever exploring inspirational materials, approach and esthetic.
"We have always tried to have the courage to go into unknown territory," says Meilleur. "And this is not easy in our profession – really, really difficult – because we are working with human beings. We now have a small group of five artists developing ideas, but not together. A new form of interaction has appeared as a result, and it works beautifully."
Meilleur’s background in dance touring, combined with an admirable perseverance in developing fewer creations over extensive rehearsal periods (rare by English theatre standards), has led to successful international tours with creations such as Leitmotif, The Tale of Teeka, Promised Land and the ambitious and overwhelming Les Nuages de terre, created with Ki-Yi Mbock Theatre of Abidjan.
Living Memory first emerged in 2001, premièring in France and refining and redefining itself over five years of performances. With author Normand Canac-Marquis at his side, Meilleur initially reunited with the creators behind 1996’s war-themed Leitmotif to create a more family-oriented, one-woman outing inspired by the sounds, theatricality and sensory overload of toys. Beginning with Michel Robidoux’s consistently brilliant sound and music experiments, it wasn’t long before Meilleur began tinkering with a century’s worth of childhood gadgets to "audition" the right ones.
"The important thing is how they transform onstage," says Meilleur. "Some objects are terribly theatrical, and some are simply not. For example, I found one toy, a bird in wood on a spring, in a toy store. It was perfect – if it could float through space. But it didn’t work."
In fact, notes Meilleur, even Slinky didn’t make the "theatricality" grade. Those who did get callbacks include innocent dolls, tricycles and stuffed rabbits, contrasted with violent war machines and miniature tanks. Each item, propelled to stage life through the creativity of Meilleur and designer Guy Fortin, carries its own connotations for both the audience and the character of Catherine (touring performer Véronique Marchand), a 100-year-old woman trapped in memory limbo.
"So far, we’ve had four different women playing Catherine," says Meilleur, "and strangely enough, three of them have had babies afterwards! Each one has brought something new and different to the role… evoking different images, feelings, a different sense of the imagination. Véronique captivates the audience strongly, in that she takes you out of time for one hour and brings you into Catherine’s life."
Add in the top-notch translation of Linda Gaboriau, the video imagery of Yves Dubé, Mireille Vachon’s costumes and André Houle’s lighting, and Living Memory becomes yet another Deux Mondes feast for the senses, blending movement and text with an uncompromising ability to seduce audiences with interdisciplinary artistry.
"Each project is like having a child itself," says Meilleur. "You just don’t know what it will look like in the beginning. So we try to transform our laboratory into a space of liberty, to be completely at ease, in order to propose the most absurd of ideas. We have created so many magical moments even from mistakes."
Although childhood is never far below our radar, it has surfaced magically for Meilleur of late, who speaks of toys and objects with renewed joie de vivre. Yet while Living Memory is an ode to childhood, it cleverly (and universally) connects us with the real-life objects that brighten and darken our lives, in this theatrical portrait of the life cycle.
"In a sense, dust is the tiniest of toys," says Meilleur. "Ultimately, it’s the first toy – and the last."
Prior to its Rodeo debut, Living Memory will be presented on January 7 in Banff to kick off The Banff Centre's 2006 Playbill Series in the Eric Harvie Theatre. Tickets are available through The Banff Centre Box Office: 1-800-413-8368 or 762-6301. |
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