Talisman Theatre proudly presents YUKONSTYLE Text: Sarah Berthiaume Translation: Nadine Desrochers Direction: Geneviève L. Blais

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1 Talisman Theatre proudly presents YUKONSTYLE Text: Sarah Berthiaume Translation: Nadine Desrochers Direction: Geneviève L. Blais At the heart of Yukonstyle we find raw people flinging themselves into a distant elsewhere to try to numb their pain, or try to find a large enough space to contain dizziness they feel, to match the Yukon landscape, whose motto is "Larger than life". Sarah Berthiaume gives voice to young disoriented people, who are searching for who they are, shaken solitudes that find themselves lost in a no man's land where it is -45 degrees. And in this imaginary Yukon, through the shock of their improbable encounters, emerges a little humanity, a hint of tenderness, which gives them the resilience to get through the cold and continue their quest. A place where raw dialogues meet poetic monologues and narrations reveal the fragments of humanity in an arid and unforgiving environment. Talisman is excited to bring the framework of Sarah s francophone lyricism, her magic-realist, tragi-comic perspective, to the English stage. An important play that embraces thorny topics like the Great North, First Nation, identity, diversity and escapism. I want to inflate myself with landscape and explode like a birthday balloon; become a rain of confetti that would snow, peaceful, in the sharp Yukon night. - Kate

2 "a deep gaze into the soul of Canada" - Post City Magazine ABOUT TALISMAN THEATRE Talisman has a vibrant, living mission: to produce English-language premières of Quebecois contemporary plays for Montreal's public and students. The mission is one of interculturalism. Taking into account contemporary issues, the company seeks to build bridges between the two solitudes in Montreal and make accessible the Quebec perspective in its originality. ( Among the productions of the company since its founding in 2006, many were crowned with prizes and nominations : Daniel Danis That Woman (2006), Down Dangerous Passes Road by Michel Marc Bouchard (2008) which won for the Prix de la critique 2008 for best English production. Marilyn Perreault s Rock, Paper, Jackknife (2009), The Flood Thereafter (2010) by Sarah Berthiaume, Coma Unplugged (2011 )by Pierre Michel Tremblay, The Medea Effect (2012) by Suzie Bastien (META winner for Best Actress and Best Translation 2012), The Aeneid by Olivier Kemeid (winner of the 2013 Montreal English Theatre Award for Best Indie production METAs), Billy (The days of Howling)(2014) by Fabien Cloutier and Province (2015) by Mathieu Gosselin. HISTORY of Yukonstyle With five plays to her credit, the universality of the work of Sarah Berthiaume is definitely confirmed. At 29 years of age, she enters the pantheon of Quebec authors whose influence on the Montreal theater scene radiates in the world. This play, Yukonstyle, was presented simultaneously in spring 2013 at the Théâtre d'aujourd'hui in Montreal and Théâtre national de la Colline in Paris, before being produced in Innsbruck, Heidelberg, Toronto and Brussels, and since published at éditions Théâtrales. This is the second work of the young Quebec feminist writer that Talisman has chosen to produce. The first being The Flood Thereafter (2010) La Chapelle Theatre. The Flood Thereafter examines the oppression of women in a small community. AUTHOR S NOTE

3 With Yuko, Garin, Dad's and Kate, I wanted to tell a story where four solitudes gather. "In front of the beautiful and hostile nature, they do not have the choice but to gather around their humanity to survive. I want to think that it is possible, to believe that four different people, traumatized and may end up finding their way. " Author Sarah Berthiaume TRANSLATOR S NOTE I felt an immense pleasure to immerse myself in Yukonstyle, both for its raw and realistic language as for his lyrical and mesmerizing energy. In Yukonstyle, Sarah explores a Quebec language in which the musicality of English can be heard, her writing has been influenced by a trip to the Yukon. I can only hope that my translation reflects this texture, richness, its flamboyant colors and breath. Translator, Nadine Desrochers DIRECTOR S STATEMENT At a time when cynicism constantly gaining ground, the characters in Yukonstyle for me are sensitive voices, nuanced and bright, they seem to me essential, they must be heard. These characters are full of questions that arise on the threshold of adulthood, questions that do not leave us, questions that linger - how to find where to go, when nothing makes sense - how to mourn a close family member who died absurdly - how to dream about tomorrow, when the family is just a raging ball at the bottom of your belly - how to talk to those who are dear to us, when we were fed silence and shame. Sarah Berthiaume addresses these issues very cleverly, through colorful characters, dazzling, slightly trashy humor, and beautiful poignant poetry. Sarah also offers through this play a look at the characters immersed in a city whose reality is foreign to us, that of Whitehorse, whose population is 25% Aboriginal (including Métis, Inuit, First Nations ). This is a sensitive but poetic look, which not intended to be a documentary nature, through a Métis character, Garin, whose mother is one of the countless missing Indigenous prostitutes. While here we become more and more aware of the horrors suffered by Aboriginal women of Quebec, it is a reality we must face and we cannot remain silent. Several plays on our stages address these issues from different angles - these words must be heard, must resound in the public space, feed our thought and invest our imaginations. Yukonstyle also explores Native

4 American mythology in both rich and personal ways, revisiting the myth of the trickster raven, key figure in Native American culture, to create a world both familiar and carrying a fascinating otherness. Director Geneviève L. Blais About the Artistic Director Lyne Paquette - Artistic and Executive Director, Talisman Theatre; Set Design for YUKONSTYLE Lyne is a founder of Talisman Theatre. A graduate of the National Theatre School (2005), theatrical set and costume design is Lyne's second career; prior to this she had worked as a professional engineer for international consultancies since graduating from McGill (1987). Beginning as an Assistant Designer at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, and an internship with Michael Curry Designs, Lyne has since designed for many theatre, dance, puppet, and opera productions in Montreal. She has designed set and costumes for Talisman productions since About the Director Geneviève L. Blais Director for YUKONSTYLE Driven by the desire to orchestrate evocative theatrical experiences that leaves us speechless, Genevieve L. Blais founded in 2003 À Corps Perdus Theatre. Within her company, she designed and directed: Quelques éclats de verre (Bar Le 980, 2004, Combats (Bain St-Michel, 2005), Les Châteaux de la colère by A. Baricco (Studio Fred-Barry, 2006), Blanc by Emmanuelle Marie(Studio Fred-Barry, 2008) and Judith, l adieu au corps by Howard Barker (Underground parking at Jean-Talon market, 2011) by Howard Barker, Empreintes - paroles autour de l'avortement (La Chapelle, 2013) and Himmelweg,

5 by Juan Mayorga (procession in Ciné- théâtre Le Château, 2014). In the last year she staged If we were birds by Erin Shields, presented at Prospero Theatre and conducted an in situ creation laboratory in a kindergarten class, around texts by Siri Hustvedt. She is currently working on a piece based on Les Enfants Terribles by Jean Cocteau and will stage next fall Yukonstyle by Sarah Berthiaume, at La Chapelle in Montreal. YUKONSTYLE Montreal English-language Premiere of Performed at La Chapelle Theatre 3700 St-Dominique October 13 to 29, :00pm STUDENT GROUP TICKETS 22 $ Text: Sarah Berthiaume Translation: Nadine Desrochers Direction: Geneviève L. Blais Actors: Julia Borsellino, Jasmine Chen, Chip Chuipka and an actor(to be confirmed) Set Design : Lyne Paquette Costume Design : Fruzsina Lànyi Lighting : David Perreault Ninacs Sound Design : Navet Confit I want to become a Greyhound bus, get tattoos of dogs on my ribs and walk in a straight line until I see the ocean. I think, I want to get trampled by a bison herd, become a squished Mama Burger, forgotten between two snowbanks. I think, I want to inflate myself with landscape and explode like a birthday balloon; become a rain of confetti that would snow, peaceful, in the sharp Yukon night. --Kate

6 Contact Details To see a short trailer of YUKONSTYLE, visit : (2:35 minutes) (will be available in August) Box Office: Student group discounts: 22$ Contact: LynePaquette artistic director lyne@talisman-theatre.com Olga Claing School Outreach Coordinator aglo@sympatico.ca