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Statu Quo: anything but…
Théâtre la Seizième presents Statu Quo by Gilles Poulin-Denis on April 6 and 7, 2013, at Vancouver’s Studio 16. The latest production from the company’s in-house dramaturgical development program, it will tour in both B.C. and Saskatchewan until May 17.
Actress Marie-Claire Marcotte as Sarah – Photos: Emily Cooper
At the heart of the play is Sarah, a young woman on the verge of finishing high school in a town that’s just a little too quiet. For her friend Adèle, the future seems simple, but Sarah, on the other hand, can’t seem to find her way. What position could she occupy in a society that’s so… so boring? Until she meets Simon, that is, a perfect stranger. Confronted by this one-of-a-kind military brat, Sarah starts slowly documenting the nothing that is her town. An exercise that leads her to uncover unknown facets of her surroundings and her own identity.
With Statu Quo, the playwright uses both humour and compassion to deal with the questions of identity that accompany the transition from childhood to adulthood. How can we choose what we want when we don’t even know ourselves? How do you settle into a world you don’t recognize? Little by little, the heroes of this existentialist fable answer these questions as they push each other and transform in the subtlest of ways. While we tend to categorize the up-and-coming generation as extreme individualists, this play reaffirms the social condition of needing human contact to discover and claim a place for ourselves in this world and to add layers to our reality.
Originally from Saskatoon, Gilles Poulin-Denis has been living in Vancouver since 2010. A finalist for a Governor General’s Award, his first play, Rearview, was presented on more than 50 occasions across Canada. This young playwright also worked under Wajdi Mouawad during Wajdi’s four-year tenure at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. With Statu Quo, he is writing for the first time for a teenage audience.
Craig Holzschuh heads this production featuring a team of young talented actors : Marie-Claire Marcotte (La Maculée, Les Zinspirés), from Toronto, Katherine Gauthier (Playing for Advantage, 100 Saints You Should Know, King Lear) and Cory Haas (Qualia, Titanic). The director has also surrounded himself with long-established designers and collaborators: Julie Martens (Set, Costumes), Jeremy Baxter (Lighting), Mishelle Cuttler (Sound), Corwin Ferguson (Video), and Geneviève Bolduc (Stage Manager).
Box Office : 604.736.2616
Price : $5-$10
When : April 6 at 8 p.m. , April 7 at 2 p.m.
Where : Studio 16 (1545-7th Avenue West, Vancouver)
