At long last, we are daring to dream that we will be back together in the theatre again. If you are reading this then it is likely that you are someone who is already at least a little bit familiar with Centaur Theatre – and I want to tell you how great it is to be back in contact! If you are completely new to us then I extend a warm welcome to the party!
At long last, we are daring to dream that we will be back together in the theatre again.
I was talking to a friend the other day about the fact that this will be our first subscription season since the pandemic and she said that she loves being a subscriber because it is like being in a secret conversation with the Artistic Director. I asked her what she meant and she said that when she comes as a subscriber to see a show, she never tries to find out anything in advance but rather sits down in the darkened theatre and tries to glean what the person who programmed the show was trying to say, how one show relates to another and what story the whole season tells.
I was so happy to hear her say that because as I program a season, I am always trying to start a conversation with the audience. I try to create a “playlist” that will ask the kinds of questions that will open new doors to the world we live in. I know that some people will like some things more than others but I always hope that they will find a compelling narrative in the way the plays speak to each other – a narrative that I intentionally embed in the program as a whole.
All through the pandemic, the one thing that kept me inspired was the beautiful city of Montreal itself. Not only the physical beauty that extends from the natural grandeur of the mountain down to the charm of our own historic neighbourhood in Old Montreal but also the beautiful diversity of the people who live here.
I lived near Parc Jeanne Mance and every weekend I would see collections of people, families having picnics or friends slacklining or playing a strange game where four people bounce a small ball off a mini trampoline?! and I would hear not only French and English but also tones and rhythms of languages from all around the world. The fact that it is a bi-lingual city gives people so many more ways to connect with each other. After the pandemic, I have felt a voracious need to connect not only with my friends and family but with all the people I am finally able to cross paths with again as we all return to some kind of normal.
I try to create a “playlist” that will ask the kinds of questions that will open new doors to the world we live in.
That notion runs through the programming for this season. It is not only embedded in the plays in the subscription series but also in everything from Dark Divas the fantastic jazz concert we are offering in December headlined by the extraordinary Ranee Lee to the collection of exciting work in the Wildside Festival to wonderfully wacky inventions of Ronnie Burkett and his merry band of marionettes in Little Willy.
There is also a secret within a secret in the programming of this year’s Brave New Looks installment by the exceptional young playwright Alice Abracen and her play What Rough Beast (March, 2023). If you are a subscriber I highly recommend you make sure to come and see this show as well because I think that there is a great conversation there waiting to happen!
Cheers, Eda
“Powerful, engaging, haunting, and ultimately, filled with gratitude for nature’s delicate power.”
– Yolande Ramsay, Curtains Up
ONE MORE WEEK! Centaur’s final show of the season is a timely and urgent play that tackles climate and environment in a tour de force performance by award-winning actor Warona Setshewalo. Now playing until May 15, 2022, A Play for the Living… sets the stage for engaging and thought-provoking theatre.
Scroll through for a round up of quotes and reviews. Centaur staff takes your health and safety seriously – read more on our protocols here. We are thrilled to be back making theatre – and we couldn’t do it without YOU!
“It will awaken your senses and mind to the diversity and magic in the world around you, like an episode of RadioLab come to visual life.”
– Sarah Deshaies, Radio host “Upstage”
“A Play for the Living in a Time of Extinction is sobering yet hopeful”
“For Those Who Care About the Environment or Enjoy Excellent Theatre”
“English Theatre: Miranda Rose Hall’s «A Play for the Living in a Time of Extinction»: Swan Song”
“Wake-Up Call At Centaur’s A Play For The Living In A Time Of Extinction”
“The Climate Crisis Takes Centre Stage at the Centaur Theatre”
“The Heat is On…”
“Centaur Theatre Goes Green with A Play for the Living in a Time of Extinction”
“A personable and passionate performance that opens our eyes to the environment that surrounds us and its far-reaching repercussions.”
–Stuart Nulman, The Montreal Times
“…just what the doctor ordered, in large part thanks to its excellent on-stage talent, actress Warona Setshwaelo…”
– Yanik Comeau, Théâtralités
Thanks to CBC Montreal “Our Montreal” for the in-depth interview with director Rose Plotek. In the interview, we learn the approach the play takes is one of care – care for each other, for the creatures with whom we share this planet, and care for the Earth itself. This holistic point of view is highlighted by the collective nature of theatre, Plotek explains. View the interview here.
“It’s very hard to imagine making any kind of performance or art work at this moment in time without a consciousness of what is happening in the natural world around us,” said Plotek.
“A production that is somehow lush yet minimalist. Miranda Rose Hall’s Naomi thunders on about the climate crisis, acknowledging very real feelings of despair, yet it also instills a sense of wonder and hope in its audience.“
–Sarah Deshaies
Take part in an immersive experience between audience and performer that rejuvenates the spirit and sets the stage for hope for each other and our planet. See you at the theatre!
by Adjani Poirier
Climate change frightens me. Like a monster lurking in the shadows, it feels ominous and scary. It’s a BIG situation that merits BIG reactions, often leaving me feeling helpless, unsure of what to do, stuck.
Will the ocean rise and wash me away? Maybe… Will the ocean rise and wash me away less if I buy the correct energy-efficient light bulb? It’s hard to say…
Figuring out what to do in reaction to a catastrophe that’s so much bigger than myself is not an easy feat. When faced with this overwhelm, I look to storytellers to try and make sense of the world.
To quote queer science fiction writer Nalo Hopkinson,
“Marginalized people need a better world, we all do, but people who are on the fringes of it very much need a better world, and in order to figure out how to get there, we first have to be able to imagine it.”
Aha! I love this sentiment; as a queer woman of colour, it rings so true!
Nalo Hopkinson: Who gets left out of the future? from TED Ideas on Vimeo.
This idea is relevant to the discussion of global warming because a) marginalized people are disproportionately affected by the effects of climate change and b) figuring out how to navigate the complexities of climate change requires a lot of imagination.
As a playwright, I use my craft to imagine what the future could be through stories on stage.
Theatre has always been my preferred method of understanding history, of untangling challenging questions, and of working through difficult emotions.
In my play Still Gay When I’m Not In Love, I use magical realism to explore global warming and what might happen if the Earth chose to teach humanity a lesson:
“THE EARTH HAS HAD ENOUGH! Her words, not mine. But I’m inclined to agree. Or rather I would be, if I were not impartial, which I am. She could no longer tolerate the abuses she was suffering at the hands of humanity, so she set fire to herself. To her entire planetary body. The fires will burn for 24 hours, and then: SHE WILL BEGIN AGAIN!”
Still Gay When I’m Not In Love, Adjani Poirier
These are the words spoken by the character Angel of Death, a beautiful celestial bureaucrat. They are addressing the entirety of humanity, who has been violently thrust into a kind of purgatory because our lovely home planet decided she was fed up with the environmentally destructive shenanigans we humans were getting up to.
The idea is that when people return to the new “phoenix risen from the ashes” version of Earth, they’ll have the opportunity for a do-over — new forms of society, new ways of creating community, new people in charge. The big question the play asks is: in the face of the ongoing climate crisis, how do we build a better tomorrow for future generations?
Spoiler alert: the play doesn’t have all the answers. But it raises a lot of questions that contribute to an ongoing discussion around people’s thoughts, feelings, fears, and ideas around issues related to climate change.
Stories shape how we think about tomorrow.
The beautiful thing about theatre is that it’s a collaborative art form; it requires many artists with a variety of different skill sets to come together and create something. And then it invites audiences to witness and experience the work together. The very act of telling stories through theatre allows us to access an understanding of life on Earth that is connected, playful, and thought provoking. It’s the perfect antidote to the stress imposed by the neoliberal notion that our individual behaviours will make or break the future of our planet.
Stories shape how we think about tomorrow. They move us, change us, wake us up, and beg us to ask difficult questions that can’t be answered with a simple yes or no. They plant seeds of ideas for what is possible and provide roadmaps for how to get there — as well as what to look out for along the way.
Telling stories through theatre makes me feel like I am part of something bigger than myself.
Theatre allows me to dream beyond the reality I know.
Theatre is like an electric current, carrying us from one place to another and igniting a spark in our imaginations.
And I do truly believe that imagination is a key element in figuring out how to work toward a future that will hold us well.
Adjani Poirier is a queer theatre maker who currently lives and writes in her hometown of Tiohtiá:ke/Montreal where she studies playwriting at the National Theatre School of Canada. Her plays include Scorpio Moon, which was featured in Centaur Theatre and Playwrights’ Workshop Montreal’s 2022 Queer Reading Series; Celebrity Dogs, part of Boca del Lupo’s national project Plays2Perform @ Home; Still Gay When I’m Not In Love; and On Life and Living: A History of AIDS Community Care Montreal. She curated the 2021 edition of QueerCab with Buddies in Bad Times Theatre.
Centaur Theatre invited Adjani Poirier to contribute her thoughts on climate change and theatre-making in relation to the play, A Play for the Living in a Time of Extinction, playing April 26 – May 15, 2022 at Centaur Theatre.
Featured banner image: Adjani dressed up to participate in a May Day parade and performance. Photo by Kristen Brown.
Every year on World Theatre Day we like to take a moment to celebrate theatre and all those who make it possible for us to make our art every day.
“Theatre is the place where we come together as people to celebrate our collective humanity. We need that now more than ever.”
Eda Holmes
Artistic & Executive Director, Centaur Theatre
Just as the days are beginning to stretch longer than the nights, our outlook is brightening every day. We’ve had so many encouraging words and such steadfast support over the last two years that we can’t help but feel optimistic about what the future holds. Every note you send and every kind word you share stays with us and we take them all to heart!
We’d like to share with you some of the kind words we’ve received from our donors.
-Haleema, Liana and Scott, Centaur’s Development team
“We are proud to support Centaur Theatre. In high school, I saw A Streetcar Named Desire at Centaur. I felt the energy of the live performances, I was hooked for life!”
Puneet Mehta & Rosamaria Koppes
Without our wonderful and generous supporters, not to mention all the theatre-lovers who have been waiting patiently for us to reopen our doors, it would not be possible for us to continue to put great stories on stage.
“I have so enjoyed Centaur performances over many years and cannot see a future without this temple of theatre open to Montrealers.”
Linda Serpone
It’s been a momentous year of emotional ups and downs and unexpected twists and turns but we made it and you were there with us through it all, letting us know how important Centaur Theatre is to you.
“[Je donne] pour garder ce beau théâtre ouvert 😍 La culture est primordiale dans notre société!”
Lhallia Bouima
Read or listen to the inspiring words from theatre makers representing Quebec, Canada, and our international communities.
Message québécois pour la Journée mondiale du théâtre
World Theatre Day Message 2022
Banner image: Photo of Maryline Chery in The Portico Project: The Exchange by Vanessa Rigaux
by Rose Plotek
This year the Wildside Festival turns 25. After 25 years of celebrating and showcasing bold and brave artists from Montreal and across Canada, we wanted to extend our commitment to these artists; to go beyond simply presenting their work to supporting its creation.
Even if we were not able to present the festival we wanted, we are happy to have been able to work with two great companies and give them the opportunity to further develop their productions.
This year’s festival was to feature two shows created by some of Montreal’s most exciting artists. Each company was given a two-week technical residency in the theatre in which they will perform. They were given free licence to create, explore and dig deep into their work. A technical residency is a vital part of the creation process. It is a time when all the elements can come together and creators fully see what they are making.
I spoke with a lead artist from each company to hear a bit about their residency process and what audiences can expect when they meet the work. – Rose Plotek, Curator of 2022 Wildside Festival and Centaur Associate Artist.
HUSH co-director and designer
“The importance of a technical residency cannot be understated. It is integral to this kind of creation process. When it comes to a work in progress it means you get to create for the specific space, and use that space for everything it has to offer. You can progress slowly; you don’t have to make all the decisions at once. You actually get to see the storytelling in all its elements. As a creator I am not able to simply squint and imagine what a work will look like. I get a kind of writer’s block if I don’t have a reasonable number of the components in place.
Our focus during this residency was first and foremost to rig up a set piece that hangs in the air. This set piece receives light,and is intended to make several movements throughout the performance, which have a metaphorical role. This was something we have only ever been able to imagine doing in previous workshops. So we had to verify how we could do that, how we could do it simply, and most importantly: did it mean what we thought it meant when we were finally able to do these manipulations.
“How well will they understand what those choices signify or how they support the storytelling?”
– Clea Minaker
When this work, which is still in progress, meets an audience, the big question we are asking ourselves is how do they receive the kind of storytelling that we are proposing? With this piece, stylistically, we move around within modes of presentation; there is not one consistent form of address. Dramaturgically, I believe that is the force of the piece, but we are still trying to understand how we can make those kinds of shifts and how willing people will be to follow us. How well will they understand what those choices signify or how they support the storytelling?”
Deer Blood co-creator and performer
“As an independent producing company the opportunity to develop work in actual theatre space is such a gift and very impactful to our storytelling. Integrating technical support and design elements like lights, projections, and set are crucial steps in the creative process. This is especially true when dealing with more expressionistic, abstract work. These design elements really establish the artistic landscape we are playing in and gives our audience a lot of information about how we want them to experience the piece.
For multidisciplinary, multimedia work, to have as many of the components as possible as early as possible, helps make the piece more complete and more cogent.
– Josh Johnston
So getting to work with these elements, getting to build them progressively as a team, really helped us develop, understand and deepen the story we are telling, and to better frame the piece. For multidisciplinary, multimedia work, to have as many of the components as possible as early as possible, helps make the piece more complete and more cogent. This allows us to actually understand how our show is functioning.
We are really looking forward to how the work will meet an audience. What most excites us about this encounter will be how they interpret the show. What are they taking away from it? The piece is purposefully open to interpretation and so we are very curious to hear people’s thoughts and feelings about it. To hear what it provokes in them and what questions they have. At the end of the day this work is for them, and is incomplete without an audience. So we are eager to hear what they make of our offering.”
Wildside REMIX runs from March 2 to March 12, 2022.
Centaur Theatre will host Logic of the Worst by Étienne Lepage and Frédérick Gravel (March 2 – 4 @ 7PM) and 1, 2 maybe 3 by jean & syd, (March 9, 10 ans 11 @ 7PM), two productions that were to run at La Chapelle Scènes Contemporaines.
Confabulation: Good Date, Bad Date — stories of romance and regret, organized by Matt Goldberg, will be on Friday March 4th @and a musical celebration of the 25th anniversary of the festival will be led by singer/songwriters Sarah Segal-Lazar, Lucy Earle, and Vienna d’ Amato Hall on March 5th in the gallery.
As we start seeing familiar faces at Centaur once again, it is encouraging to review the year that was filled with hybrid performances and a return to the stage. With everyone’s health and safety top of mind, we are thankful for our audience support and look forward to our upcoming live theatre productions of Wildside and Kisses Deep in January 2022!
Here are some highlights of a year that was a brave new world, and taught us more about resilience and theatre than we knew!
Wildside 2021 launched us into 2021 and went digital and totally FREE for the whole month of January. As Montreal locked down, Wildside artists delivered in-home entertainment that was experimental and edgy as could be.
We also hosted online interviews with curator Rose Plotek and Wildside artists and presented two Catalyst readings of new works from new voices in January.
After more than a year we opened our doors to put on 8 presentations of MOB, the sold-out, META-winning hit that we had to shut down in March 2020. It was very emotional for the audiences and for all of us, even before the lights went down and the play started! 😉
Thanks to all those who came for putting their confidence in us. With all of the new safety protocols in place, everyone felt safe and was able to enjoy the long-awaited return to live theatre.
Remember summer? We do! Centaur staff and friends met to test drive the newly released box set of Boca del Lupo’s Plays2Perform@Home. Pic nic not included 😉
The Quebec Box Set is still available for purchase at Centaur Theatre or online.
We met Ange Loft and collaborators Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo and Iehente Foote in August 2021. The Collective will develop a new site-specific theatrical performance that includes historic research, music, Kanien’kéha language, large scale imagery/puppetry, verbatim text, and traditional Indigenous, as well as contemporary dance for a new work entitled Talking Treaties Tio’tia:ke.
Look forward to the return of our online interview series, Saturday Salons, set for Saturday January 8th with Eda and Ange.
Eda Holmes handed the reins over to Julie Tamiko Manning, Eo Sharp, and Nalo Soyini Bruce to create an outdoor performance that spoke to the moment of reconciliation, representation, equity and inclusion. The 2nd edition of the Portico Project (September 2021) continued the tradition of opening a new season with outdoor theatre for all to see. Photos by Nalo Soyini Bruce.
The beautiful portico was lit in jewel tones and performers Maryline Chery, Corrina Hodgson, Sandra Kadowaki, Kayin Queeley and Ainsley McNeaney created tableaux’s for masked audience members and passers-by, beating drums and creating rhythms for the onlookers and neighbouring residents. We’re back!
With stage manager Trevor Barrette, co-creator & director Julie Tamiko Manning; dramaturg Rose Plotek; performer; co-creators & designers Eo Sharp and Nalo Soyini Bruce.
Presented in September by Centaur Theatre as a part of Brave New Looks, this Onishka and Imago Theatre co-production, created and performed in the round by Émilie Monnet, was a powerful, immersive experience in three languages: English, French and Anishnaabemowin.
The TNM kicked off its 70th season with Embrasse, a new play by Michel Marc Bouchard. The reviews are in and our audience has much to look forward to, with Eda directing the English version, Kisses Deep, at Centaur January 25th – February 12, 2022.
“Michel Marc Bouchard is a thrilling playwright to work with. His poetic voice, steeped in the unique culture of Quebec, is universal in its exploration of human passion. Having directed several of his plays before in English, it is a dream come true to have the privilege of presenting the world premiere of this play in French at the illustrious TNM and then remounting it in English here at Centaur. I believe we are building a brilliant future for culture in Montreal with these kinds of creative bridges.”
Eda Holmes, Kisses Deep Director & Centaur Theatre Artistic and Executive Director
We decked the halls early and ushered in a holiday season full of laughter. Rebecca Northan’s latest script gave us a dose of good cheer and some tips on how to give – and receive – the spirit of Christmas. It was a fun-for-the-whole-family kind of show, and it felt SO good to be back on stage.
Our production staff had fun building Santa’s Workshop too, take a peek at this time lapse of Centaur’s elves at work!
Donations enabled us to stay connected with patrons and artists as we rode out the storm together in a rich conversation about who we are as a community. It was a turbulent yet valuable year that has inspired us to return to the stage with even more energy and care.
Centaur Theatre partnered with Centre du Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui + Transistor Media on a one-time podcast event called Bâtarde/Bastard, written by Laurence Dauphinais. As well, Boca del Lupo is introducing a four-part podcast series – Dialogues for the Vaccine Hesitant and Those Who Love Them. Four playwrights from four Canadian cities wrote four short plays around this current hot-topic issue and Montreal’s/Centaur’s contribution is Omari Newton’s Vaxx Pass.
The internationally acclaimed actor, writer, director and musician, Laurence Dauphinais, is one of two creators of next season’s Cyclorama, a unique, never-before-attempted theatre experience that we can’t wait to share with you.
You can listen to this fascinating origin story as told by Laurence and her mother.
Bâtarde / Bastard follows the quest of Laurence Dauphinais, a child conceived through artificial insemination by donor sperm in the 1980s.
Historically, gamete donation has been anonymous in Canada leaving children to their own devices regarding questions about their origins. Twelve-year-old Laurence was consumed by imagined images and personality traits for her birth father until something changed: DNA testing … new, accessible information that had the power to open locked doors and take her on a journey of self-discovery.
The original podcast was presented December 9, 2021 at Cinema Public in collaboration with Le Centre du Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui and Transistor Média.
Another podcast project that we are proud to co-present with Boca del Lupo is Dialogues for the Vaccine Hesitant and Those Who Love Them.
Montreal-born actor, slam poet and playwright, Omari Newton, is the author of Vaxx Pass, in which a group of Hip Hop dancers discover that one of their troupe hasn’t been vaccinated mere hours before a televised dance competition. The audio recording was produced last week at Centaur and is available to listen to on Boca del Lupo’s website.
Vaxx Pass, featuring Dakota Jamal Wellman, Justin Johnson, Jeremy Cabrera and Espoir Segbeaya, was read and recorded at Centaur Theatre in December. Directed by Eda Holmes and Sound Recording by Laurier Rajotte.
Vancouver’s Boca del Lupo Theatre has partnered with the Dr. Peter Centre to produce four short scripts from Canadian playwrights to explore different root causes of vaccine hesitancy. They range from fear of needles or reducing the harm of spreading mis-information, to the understandable wariness in racialized communities when it comes to government mandated procedures.
Inspired by Boca del Lupo’s national Plays2Perform@Home project, free digital book versions of these plays will be available for all to read and share.
These scripts are meant as practice dialogues for people who might find themselves in any number of difficult conversations, especially as folks gather for the holidays.
“Throughout the pandemic our focus has been to centre artists to help us make sense of these extraordinary times. When the Dr. Peter Centre approached us about working on the vaccine roll out, we had to say yes. We approached four playwrights whose lived experience might offer insight and support to those of us who are hesitant ourselves or have loved ones in our circle who are.”
Boca del Lupo’s Sherry J Yoon and Artistic Producer Jay Dodge
Boca del Lupo worked with four theatre companies across the nation to record the plays and are releasing four podcasts to accompany the digital books. These podcasts include readings of the plays by professional actors, as well as interviews between Boca del Lupo’s Artistic Director, Sherry J Yoon and the playwrights along with special guests and experts.
The playwrights from coast to coast are: Omari Newton, Yvette Nolan, Mary-Colin Chisholm, and Karen Hines.
Other partner theatres are Eastern Front Theatre (Halifax), Manitoba Theatre Centre (Winnipeg) and One Yellow Rabbit (Calgary).
Rebecca Northan, writer and director of All I Want for Christmas, has spent her career being serious about comedy.
Centaur audiences will remember her hit show, Blind Date, from the 2019 season, but this Renaissance artist has many successes under her belt. What each of Northan’s creations has in common, whether scripted, fully improvised, or a hybrid of what she deems ‘spontaneous theatre,’ is a message of love, empathy, playfulness, and misbehaviour all wrapped in a comedic bow.
Northan’s theatrical roots can be traced back to the Loose Moose Theatre in Calgary, Alberta, where she took her first steps on stage in the improvised format, Theatresports, invented by Keith Johnstone. She also attended the University of Calgary where she studied classical theatre with Stratford Festival alumna Pamela Brook. It is this simultaneous steeping in both improvisation and Shakespeare that Northan credits with her ongoing obsession with works that are highly structured improvisations (like Blind Date).
“Pamela and Keith’s offices were side by side at the U of C, and each of them posted quotes on their doors meant to inspire. Pamela’s door had a famous quote from Hamlet, ‘the readiness is all,’ while Keith had posted ‘Don’t be prepared’ on his. I realize that ‘young me’ internalized both these quotes and they have become a guiding principle in my work.”
When Northan’s most widely recognized production, Blind Date, first started touring in 2010, she was approached by an audience member in Winnipeg who wanted to know what this style of theatre was called. At the time, Northan had no name for it, but eventually settled on the term ‘spontaneous theatre’, which has since become the name of her production company.
“I wanted a term that would reflect the writing and narrative rigour that goes into a production, while also indicating that improvisation remains a huge piece; ‘spontaneous theatre’ seemed to capture that. When I’m working on something fully scripted, like All I Want for Christmas, I still want there to be a sense of spontaneity; often I will invite actors to find their own moments to improvise something slightly different each night. I find it keeps things electric and an audience can feel it.”
This alchemy seems to be paying off. Northan has had many successes over the last decade. Undercover—in which an audience-member-turned-rookie-detective is tasked with solving a murder—has toured three major companies in Canada (Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre, Calgary’s Vertigo Theatre, and the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton).
Legend Has It, a family-friendly fantasy adventure, premiered at Alberta Theatre Projects’ playRites Festival and went on to play the prestigious Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York. Had the world not been shut down by COVID, Northan’s newest creation, An Undiscovered Shakespeare, would have had its world premiere at the Stratford Festival in 2020.
“Canada is full of amazing improvisers. So many. No kings, no queens! And, I’ve never been just an improviser. I’m always striving to bring both sides of my training to the foreground. I act, I improvise, I direct, I write, I produce—well, let’s be honest, I’ll do anything in the arts that pays me a dollar! But, as I get older, I find that I am enjoying the writer/director mantle.”
Northan’s scripted works bear her signature brand of humour and heart. Her first play, Kung Fu Panties, an ode to all-female action movies, was so popular during its Calgary run that posters were stolen from the marquee in front of the theatre.
“Slipper and Zorro were so much fun, because I was co-creating those with two of my oldest, dearest friends: Bruce Horak and Christian Goutsis. We all started our careers around the same time and have been in lots of productions together. We share a similar sense of humour, and have a shorthand that keeps the work fast and fresh. I tend to write the drafts of the script, Bruce and Christian help punch up the jokes, then they collaborate on sound design and composing. We really want the script and the music to be a full package—it makes the comedy better. We like to call ourselves “The Giggle Gang.”
“Bruce and I met in 1995 doing Shakespeare in the Park. He is my favourite human to work with, and yeah, we were even married for a short stint. We’ll always work together – he is quite possibly the most talented person I’ve ever met, and I feel so grateful that we continue to be best friends and collaborators. He’s been my sounding board on All I Want for Christmas since its inception, so I am thrilled he was available to design sound. Comedy is music, and Bruce is a genius at it. He’s going to hate me putting so much pressure on him like this, but too bad!”
Comedy is music, and Bruce is a genius at it
All I Want for Christmas is the result of Northan seeing a 2020 Facebook post by Cape Breton artist Wesley Colford, Artistic Director of the Highland Arts Theatre. They were looking for a holiday comedy that fit these criteria: “three actors or less, preferably Canadian, preferably written by a woman.” While several replies suggested ‘no such play exists,’ Northan messaged Colford immediately offering to write something for them.
“We were in the middle of our second lockdown, so the timing could not have been better. Christmas was my mom’s favourite time of year—she passed away in 1996—so the character of Marge is named for her. I like to put all kinds of personal truths in my plays. I won’t tell you ALL of them—I’ve got to keep some secrets—but things like Marge working at an answering service in high school or numbers making her cry, those are things that are absolutely true about ME. The audience can have fun guessing what else might be true… or not true!”
“I feel a bit guilty as the director. These actors are so good, so skilled, so FUNNY, I feel like I really don’t have to do much at all. I make the tiniest suggestion and they run with it. I spend all of my time in rehearsal wiping tears out of my eyes, I’m laughing so hard… until I’m weeping a bit because they’ve moved me so deeply. They’re amazing.”
Northan will return to Montreal in February to teach at the National Theatre School of Canada. This will be her second year offering a section on improvisation to the first year students. When asked about future plans, she offers, “I’m doing a bit of online teaching for the Stratford Festival, and I’m writing a new one-woman show, called Burning Down the House, about how the women of GenX are dealing with menopause.
Eda Holmes has been mentoring me and once I cough up a draft, she’ll dramaturg and direct… I hope! Beyond that, who knows?! Some film and TV if I’m lucky. Only the theatre gods know for sure.”
We are thrilled to finally be back and offer an actual season of theatre. We have two mainstage plays as we introduce a new and convenient way to enjoy a year of live theatre through the new Go Live @ Centaur membership program. Associate Artist, Rose Plotek, will direct a third mainstage production and we hope to announce a fourth play, once the season is underway. Stay tuned for those exciting announcements.
From November 16 to December 5, the mischievous Rebecca Northan directs her latest play, All I Want for Christmas. Settle in for hysterical holiday humour as the smooth-running North Pole is thrown into chaos when an unexpected “outsider” breaches Santa’s mailroom on a young elf’s first night on the job.
From January 25 to February 13, Centaur Theatre collaborates with the prestigious Théâtre du Nouveau Monde for the very first time to co-produce English and French productions of Michel Marc Bouchard’s new play, Kisses Deep, translated by Linda Gaboriau. Centaur’s Artistic Director, Eda Holmes directs both productions in this touching story about a young man who worships Yves St-Laurent. A devoted son, he knows he can design the perfect outfit to redeem his mother’s character for her day in court.
September 2 to 11, the Imago Theatre/Onishka co-production of Okinum, kicks off the 53rd season. Indigenous writer, co-director and performer, Émilie Monnet presents a captivating, immersive experience as she learns how to trust in the power of dreams and intuition. In English, French and Anishnaabemowin. Very limited seating; click HERE for tickets.
We liven up St-François-Xavier with our second annual outdoor event. This year’s iteration presents a dynamic 20-minute, multi-disciplinary event from September 23 to October 2, exploring the nature of reciprocation, resulting in the celebration of what we can each bring to the table.
AND, Boca del Lupo partners with us again with 5 Box sets of short, homegrown Plays2perform@Home with friends and family. The Montreal Box Set, featuring 4 local playwrights, is available for purchase at Portico or you can buy all 5 sets online.
Memberships are the best and most flexible way to save big, have first choice of the best available seats along with other great perks! Adults pay $75, Seniors (65+) $62 and Under 30s only $40 for the season and that includes FREE admission to your first play selection!
Click HERE to purchase your membership today.
Sign up for our Newsletter and follow us on social media for news about upcoming Saturday Salons, the TD Saturday Morning Children’s Series, staged play readings and more.
Plus … the Wildside Festival turns 25 this January so you know that’s going to be a blow-out celebration of ground-breaking theatre! Be on high alert for Wildside 25 updates.
Top banner image illustration by Matt Gagnon 2021.
UPDATED OCT 22, 2021 – Please note that as of September 1st, as per government public health regulations, Centaur Theatre is required by law to comply with the vaccination passport rollout. All patrons and staff are required to show proof of double vaccination, either through the through government approved app or a printed hardcopy, and a photo ID to gain access to the building.
Welcome to Centaur’s 53rd Season – Go Live @ Centaur
We know you are as thrilled as we are to be back in the theatre. The health and safety of everyone is our top priority. We greatly appreciate your patience and cooperation respecting these government-regulated safeguards:
Both Centaur venues will operate at a reduced capacity to allow for 1 metre socially distanced seating.
Centaur has upgraded the ventilation system in both the theatres and public areas and a frequent sanitization routine of all public areas is in place.
Bon spectacle!
