Wildside

Night Cows

Produced by MoonCow Theatre Co.
Original Text: Jovette Marchessault
English Translation: Yvonne M. Klein

A Queer feminist fantasia that blurs the line between human and animal, mother and daughter, sky and earth, inviting audiences into the milky ecstasy of liberation. Free event.

24 mins
Night Cows invites us into the fantastical story of a magical transformation of a mother cow [and] is asking us to reconsider the hierarchy-based belief system that we rely so much upon.
Jacqueline van de Geer, WESTMOUNT MAG
The emphasis on the wisdom of non-human animals reflects Marchessault’s mixed Indigenous/settler heritage, which Wattam shares: this production’s foregrounding of that knowledge and its commitment to a fully embodied feminism make it feel like a play for today
Karen Fricker, 2019 Toronto Star review of full Night Cows production

About

A movement poem using shadow puppetry.

MoonCow Theatre Co. presents an abridged version of its haunting adaptation of Night Cows, the 1979 seminal theatrical text by Québécois & Indigenous creator, Jovette Marchessault.

It begins at dusk. A vachette describes how her mother removes the shackles of the day and society, transforming into a sensual, grotesque, night cow. Her mother opens herself in two, she splits herself in four expanding into the milky way; her daughter riding her back as they go to wake the crows.

Cast

Eléonore Lamothe
Audio Performer, Script Adaptation
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Eléonore Lamothe

Eléonore Lamothe was born and raised in a tiny town called Clare in Nova Scotia. She moved to Montreal at age fifteen to pursue studies in classical ballet and a career in acting. In 2019, she completed her bachelor’s degree at McGill University with a major in Drama and minor in Mathematics. She currently resides in Paris where she is completing her second year at l’École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq.

Alexandra Montagnese
Marionnettiste, conception et confection des marionnettes
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Alexandra Montagnese

Alexandra Montagnese is an actor, puppeteer, and theatre creator. She has performed in numerous indoor and outdoor settings including SummerWorks, Rhubarb, and Fringe Festivals across Canada. She has worked with Theatre Rusticle, Watermark Theatre, Thousand Islands Playhouse, Young People’s Theatre, Theatre Direct, Shadowland, Infinitheatre, and L’Autre théâtre. She is a founding member of Jot & Tittle Puppetry Collective, and is a core company member of Lucid Ludic who produced her one-woman show Public Mischief which won her venue’s pick of the fringe at Kingston’s Storefront Fringe 2018. With a small group of puppet enthusiasts, Alex started Toronto’s seasonal puppet and performing objects event Concrete Cabaret. When she is not performing, Alex is an arts educator teaching with Shakespeare in Action, and puppetry to elementary school children. In the summer, Alex will be presenting her newest tabletop puppet show A Short History of Niagara as part of the Shaw Festival’s 2021 Season.

Anna Jane McIntyre
Conception des marionnettes
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Anna Jane McIntyre

Anna Jane McIntyre is an artist with a playful practice that combines storytelling, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, performance and microactivism. Her work investigates how people perceive, create and maintain their notions of self through behaviour and visual cues, and is an ever-shifting visual mashup of British, Trinidadian and Canadian cultural traditions. Her work has been presented in Canada, the United States, England, Europe, Brazil, South Africa and the Caribbean. Projects have been made possible through the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts, Vivacité Montréal through the Conférence régionale des élus de Montréal (CRÉ), the Conseil des arts de Montréal (CAM) and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) and the mentorship program of the MAI – (Montréal, arts interculturels). She lives and works in Montreal.

Hannah Kirby - Video & Sound Editor
Eléonore Lamothe - Audio Performer, Script Adaptation
Rosie Long Decter - Composer, Dramaturg
Anna Jane McIntyre - Puppet Design
Sophie Marisol - Puppet Design
Alexandra Montagnese - Puppeteer, Puppet Design & Construction
Katey Wattam - Director, Producer, Script Adaptation, Puppet Design & Construction
Myrna Wyatt-Selkirk - Puppetry Consultant

Thank You

Night Cows has seen many iterations over the years. This process has been saturated by the artistry of: 

Nikita Bala, Micheline Chevrier, Maxine Dannatt, Sharon Davidson, Micah Flavin, Mattias Graham, Yuan Kelly, Lauren Laframboise, Pablo Rodriguez, Mathieu René, Easton Skara, and Jed Tomlinson.

We are grateful for all your support in the journey of this piece. chi-miigwech.

Through the MAI’s Mentorship Program, this production has benefited from financial support by the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications du Québec and the Ville de Montréal under the agreement on the cultural development of Montréal 2017-2018.

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