A Night of Comedy and Franco-Ontarian Culture
04/04/2004 06:48 p.m.

Last evening was rich with adventure, entertainment, relaxation and growth. My brother did the rounds in Hull to collect his dear friend Karmen, then four more of her family including her mom, of 86 (a sweet and energetic woman) and the predominantly Francophone company except for Don and I, left Quebec and soon negotiated the misty river highway to Rockland, Ontario. We found our way to the École secondaire L’Escale de Rockland (High School) where Le Théâtre de la Vieille 17 was featuring,among its fine entourage, Karmen’s niece, Jacynthe Dupont and the latter’s boyfriend Dominique Pierre Dion, in the play, "les murs de nos villages".

En route Karmen had laughingly referred to Don as the tour guide, and after we endured a few lost roads, and confusion typical of these things, first time going somewhere and discrepancies in directions, dark roads and vague information and the poorly lit several entrances to the large high school, plus the ambiguity depending on which plays you were attending, a cross cleaning lady scolding us in French for coming in the wrong way and after re-parking and getting in and out a few times for false starts, we soon found the right section and settled ourselves in for an incredible performance.

The name of this theatre organization (Théâtre de la Vieille l7)is based on the old Highway l7,in this Ontario region where the group was created. Having reviewed the same theatre group's efforts, with different actors and director, years ago, (with their children’s production of Le Nez at the National Arts Centre) for an article in the X Press newspaper I wrote, I was delighted to attend this production when the opportunity came. It was even better that my brother’s close friend Karmen had relatives in the leads. Jacynthe lost her mom Jocelyne (Karmen's beloved sister only in her early 50's) to breast cancer in November and the last time I saw the family was at the wake, so it was special and important as well as entertaining, to be there last night.

Throughout the drive I was fascinated and stimulated by a new introduction between myself and Sylvie Hill, Karmen’s niece, sitting beside me in the van. The family was eager that we met, since we both love poetry and writing. Sylvie is a published book author, and well-renowed performance poet (Slam her speciality) in Ottawa, and familiar with Tree and Sasquatch, though they are not her usual types of venues. We had fabulous chats about the arts and poetry, technical writing, life in general, relationships, etc. She warned me her material is very explicit.Yet as we talked I learned she had a definite strong sense of morals and principles. Then we laughed as the others shook their heads teasingly as we compared our recently released poems about sex. This twenty-eight year-old woman has her head on perfectly, and has taught Business English at Algonquin College, has her English Literature Degree from Carleton, and is so cool and fun but also knowledgeable.

I hope to see her at Westfest in Westboro in June, when she’ll be performing there.

The play was a regional comedy, about Rockland and Clarence Creek youth, and through a multitude of ingenious scenes with some of the family names added (ie Karmen’s and Sylvie’s) into the dialogues, immediate and relatable. The French was highly conversational, not textbook, so for the Anglophones some expressions and colloquialisms were easy to miss, but the physical comedy, the energy, the colour and passion and intelligence, undeniable.

My favorite was the skit on bingo ladies, three of them, but also the budding romance scene between the young couple, Dominique and Jacynthe starring in this duet-like exchange, with the beautiful and skilled young actress in character, blowing bubble gum bursts, and inserting “cool” often in her brief lines, as she swung her legs and said not much of anything real but communicated typically as a self-conscious teen, with a certain shyness and sense of not making much of what was really much to her, the drawing-in moment of first kiss and date arrangement, while Dominique played the somewhat inarticulate also, yearning lad from the small town trying to impress and win the heart of the gal with talk of trips to Ottawa, Montreal, and the big-times!

All the actors moved the walls and the sets with ease and smooth speed between each skit, and the flow in the entire two-act play was impeccable.

Jacynthe’s late mom, Jocelyne, and I often talked about our shared love of poetry and the arts, and throughout the evening I imagined how immensely proud she’d have been of her daughter. Of course she knew how successful the drama endeavours were going for Jacynthe, for years, but it was a night when a mom should be there to see the press photos on the billboards beside the ticket table, and the ovations at the conclusion.

After the play, and dropping off most of the family including the grandmother, a dear woman I always enjoy, just the four of us, Sylvie, myself, Don and Karmen, stopped for coffee and a drink at the Mayflower before Sylvie was returned home. We continued our talks on everything from our modelling days (the women, leaving Don kind of out of it, but laughing at us all) and everything from literature and family to publishing etc. and the reading circuit in Ottawa.

It was a superb evening,and by twelve-thirty I was happily tired and yearning to reconnect more with my lifelong love of the theatre. Perhaps before long I will get involved, time and energy permitting, in some aspects of that again.

When I got home I looked Sylvie up on the web and found an X Press review of her work, and also the Westfest.ca information, and was impressed but not surprised, at her renown and will definitely be watching for her, as she said she will be for my work too. She may even take in a Sasquatch, she said. I think performance poetry livens up readings immensely and hope she will share some with us soon.
I am currently Cheerful
I am listening to aft. movie in background