What: A French-language adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest for children aged eight and up, told with life-size puppets
When and where: Today at 1:30 p.m. and Sunday at 1:30 p.m. and 3:45 p.m., in the National Arts Centre Studio
Tickets: $13.96 at the NAC box office or through Ticketmaster, 1-888-991-2787
Over the past 450 years, the plays of William Shakespeare have been translated into French. They’ve been adapted for children. They’ve even been acted out by puppets. And in 2009, a new production of The Tempest from the Gaspé region of Quebec charmed audiences by using all three layers of storytelling at the same time.
La Tempête is the beloved story of Prospero and his magic library as re-imagined by the Théâtre de la Petite Marée (Theatre of the Little Tide). This creative young professional company is based in the small, picturesque seaside village of Baie-des-Chaleurs, and specializes in summer family shows, often using fantastical puppets and masks.
For their production of The Tempest, the company commissioned exquisite, life-size marionettes that are manipulated by the actors. The hit show is being revived at the National Arts Centre for three performances this weekend.
Director Alice Ronfard has staged everything from experimental theatre to opera, but this was her first foray into children’s theatre.
“For years I had a project in the back of my mind to initiate young people to Shakespeare,” she says over the phone from her home in Montreal. “My son developed a passion for Shakespeare when he was eight. I was directing a production of King Lear and he and his little friends would sit and watch, completely absorbed, for hours. I was wondering what had gotten into them. I realized that there must be something in those stories that speaks to children.”
A conversation with some of Petite Marée’s creative collaborators eventually led to Ronfard signing on to direct La Tempête.
“We chose The Tempest for this project because I had directed it before, it’s a play I adore, and I felt that it’s about things that children could easily understand: magic, the master-slave relationship, compassion, power,” Ronfard says.
At first she wasn’t too thrilled about working with puppets.
“To me a puppet was like Pinocchio. I thought it would be silly. Then I saw these amazing puppets they created. They’re alive. They’re like human beings. You forget they’re puppets.”
With its beach town location, it’s no surprise that Petite Marée often turns to stories featuring the sea, making The Tempest a natural fit. For this version, Shakespeare’s text has been freely translated and adapted for a young audience by New Brunswick playwright Emma Haché, an associate artist of the NAC French Theatre, which is presenting La Tempête in Ottawa.
“Emma has done an absolutely fabulous adaptation,” says Ronfard. “She has managed to synthesize all the critical plot elements into an hour and 10 minutes, and has lost nothing of the story. I think we’ve succeeded in producing a project that engages the emotions.”
When and where: Today at 1:30 p.m. and Sunday at 1:30 p.m. and 3:45 p.m., in the National Arts Centre Studio
Tickets: $13.96 at the NAC box office or through Ticketmaster, 1-888-991-2787
Over the past 450 years, the plays of William Shakespeare have been translated into French. They’ve been adapted for children. They’ve even been acted out by puppets. And in 2009, a new production of The Tempest from the Gaspé region of Quebec charmed audiences by using all three layers of storytelling at the same time.
La Tempête is the beloved story of Prospero and his magic library as re-imagined by the Théâtre de la Petite Marée (Theatre of the Little Tide). This creative young professional company is based in the small, picturesque seaside village of Baie-des-Chaleurs, and specializes in summer family shows, often using fantastical puppets and masks.
For their production of The Tempest, the company commissioned exquisite, life-size marionettes that are manipulated by the actors. The hit show is being revived at the National Arts Centre for three performances this weekend.
Director Alice Ronfard has staged everything from experimental theatre to opera, but this was her first foray into children’s theatre.
“For years I had a project in the back of my mind to initiate young people to Shakespeare,” she says over the phone from her home in Montreal. “My son developed a passion for Shakespeare when he was eight. I was directing a production of King Lear and he and his little friends would sit and watch, completely absorbed, for hours. I was wondering what had gotten into them. I realized that there must be something in those stories that speaks to children.”
A conversation with some of Petite Marée’s creative collaborators eventually led to Ronfard signing on to direct La Tempête.
At first she wasn’t too thrilled about working with puppets.
“To me a puppet was like Pinocchio. I thought it would be silly. Then I saw these amazing puppets they created. They’re alive. They’re like human beings. You forget they’re puppets.”
With its beach town location, it’s no surprise that Petite Marée often turns to stories featuring the sea, making The Tempest a natural fit. For this version, Shakespeare’s text has been freely translated and adapted for a young audience by New Brunswick playwright Emma Haché, an associate artist of the NAC French Theatre, which is presenting La Tempête in Ottawa.
“Emma has done an absolutely fabulous adaptation,” says Ronfard. “She has managed to synthesize all the critical plot elements into an hour and 10 minutes, and has lost nothing of the story. I think we’ve succeeded in producing a project that engages the emotions.”
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