La Seizième

Photo © Gaëtan Nerincx

Things I Know to Be True is a play by author Andrew Bovell, written in 2016. Why did you choose to produce this text?

I had the chance to see the first production of this play when I was living in London. I remember sitting frozen in my seat for several minutes after the show ended. It was incredibly powerful, driven by a stunning performance from the actors, which deeply moved me. This story about a complex family love, with unclear boundaries, is a subject that remains relevant no matter the time or place.

When I realized that the first programming I would sign was for the 50th anniversary, I was looking for a production that could showcase our pool of artists, both performers and designers. Producing Things I Know to Be True became an obvious choice.

The play is Australian, and you translated it yourself into French. Did you encounter any challenges during the translation? How do you approach the process when translating?

This translation was one of my hobbies during the pandemic; I felt it was important to continue working while theatre was on hold. The first versions were written in a French that closely resembles my own. I translate alone and start with a literal translation. After the auditions, I revisited the translation with the cast, in order to better capture their voices and bring more nuance to the playwright’s dramaturgy in the French language. We decided to localize our production in the suburbs of Vancouver, and some of the characters speak in English on a few occasions, which reflects the family compositions that can be found here.

Tell us about the direction of the production. The cycle of seasons and the family garden play an important role in the set design…

The play is structured around the four seasons, over an entire year, and it also heavily references the materiality of the garden, that plays a significant role in the Price family’s life. The cyclical nature of the blooming process echoes the idea of renewal, of change, two phenomena that are sometimes difficult to integrate into life. Some characters cling to nostalgia, while others view life very restrictively. The year that unfolds brings surprises and changes… and it’s not always easy to accept, as we’ll see!

The theatrical experience begins as soon as the audience enters the room; it’s important to me that the atmosphere is present from the very start. As for the staging, we want to capitalize on the intimacy of the Studio 16 space, while transforming it. I would like to highlight the amazing work of the design team, who are taking on this challenge with great success. The audience will be seated on three sides of the space, and the division between the inside of the house and the outside will not be easy to distinguish… I won’t say any more!

The six actors are also working a lot on movement, with dancers Noam Gagnon and Eowynn Enquist. Why did you choose to emphasize the physical aspect?

The original production was a collaboration between an Australian theatre and a company in England known for its work in movement. From the start of the creation process, this physicality became essential; it is also partly reflected in the original text.

In my view, movement adds another dimension to what remains unsaid. It allows for the transmission of the unspoken, through the expression of bodies, gestures, and relationships in space. Where Noam and Eowynn excel is that they know how to adapt to the actors. We don’t create choreographies, in the sense that we don’t dance in the play. The movements we work on reflect daily life much more; they are more intimate, more discreet.

The Price children, all adults now, are still searching for independence, and they are confronted with the difficulty of believing in their choices, of emancipating themselves from sometimes stifling parental love. Bob and Fran, the parents, see their worldview and the values they tried to instill in their children questioned. Do you think these are common family dynamics?

I think every family is complex, and the way love manifests can vary greatly. Sometimes love is tender, sometimes encouraging, sometimes harsh and cold. It’s important that we don’t judge this: contexts, situations, and relationships speak for themselves. Another dynamic that interests me is the one conveyed by the title: the things we know to be true. That certainty we have about life, which can be reassuring, even though things don’t always go the way we want them to. We hold on to nostalgia, to a trajectory we think is reliable, but in the end, it prevents us from evolving, from emancipating ourselves. Questioning what we know to be true is a driving thread in the play and will impact the members of the Price family in different ways.

Is there a character that particularly touches you? Why?

The beauty of the text lies in the fact that each character has a unique relationship with every other member of their family, and the love they share manifests in different ways. This is the great strength of the text, and it will be so rich to watch from the audience. The moments of connection, when the entire family is gathered, will be felt viscerally in the small space of Studio 16. I’m lucky to be working with a cast of artists who are at the top of their craft. You’ll recognize some familiar faces, and discover performers who are working at the Seizième for the first time, like Xénia or Simon. From the very first day of rehearsals, I felt like I was at a Sunday family barbecue!