That Woman by Daniel Danis, translated by Linda Gaboriau

In a series of twenty-four short scenes or snapshots, That Woman breathtakingly transports you into a landscape of memories where an Old Man, a Mother and a Son struggle to experience perfect moments of happiness in an existence devoid of opportunity. They collect small victories among the revelations of pain. A world opens, invites us in and asks us to participate: the body starved of knowledge and culture, the forbidden garden of sexual expression, the separation of body and soul and the inability to participate in a child's game of laughter.

That Woman is a challenge. It is written in poetic monologue form. The monologues are moments in time, told by three people that live in the same house but are not equipped to live in the same time or space. In the play, the monologues become a dialogue among the three; a composite story of repression, neglect, cruelty and astonishing resilience, love and hope. The Mother's words are spoken during the twenty minutes prior to her death. The Old Man speaks at two different times, during the night of The Mother's death while her body lies on the floor, and at the time of the Son's arrival. The Son speaks at his arrival in the house on the third day following the Mother's death. Her body is no longer in the house. The funeral for the Mother will take place the following day.

Celle-là by Daniel Danis was awarded the Governor General Award in 1993. In 1998 it was translated by Linda Gaboriau and entitled That Woman. This is a play that tells the story of a woman, her name never mentioned, who is sent away from her family at the age of seventeen by her brother the Bishop after she is found exploring her sexuality.

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Talisman Theatre and Infinitheatre, Bain St-Michel Theatre, Montreal, QC 2007.

Talisman Theatre, Geordie Space, Montreal, QC. 2006

Director

Text / Texte : Daniel Danis
Translator / Traduction : Linda Gaboriau
Director / Mise en scène : Emma Tibaldo.

ACTORS / ACTEURS :
The Mother : Sarah Stanley; The Old Man : Guy Sprung; The Son : Marcelo Arroyo.

DESIGNERS / CONCEPTEURS :
Set / Décor : Lyne Paquette
Costumes / Costume : Lyne Paquette
Lighting / Éclairage : David Perreault Ninacs
Sound / Son : Michael Leon.

The Gazette : "Something sinister infects the sordid story taking shape in spasmodic out-of-sync fits and starts of high and low emotions. [...] Directed by Emma Tibaldo, the production unites a group of talented veterans under the umbrella of Talisman Theatre, a cooperative formed to put on Quebec plays not yet seen in Montreal in English. Good news indeed, and it comes not a moment too soon to help fill a gap in the pure-laine anglo playgoing experience."--Mat Radz

The Mirror : "[D]ozens of new French plays come out each year, and then there's all the stuff from past years that never got picked up for English language production. That's where That Woman and Talisman productions come in. As indie theatre companies go, this one is fairly high-powered. It was started by hot young director Emma Tibaldo and fellow NTS graduate, designer Lyne Paquette."--Amy Barratt

The Hour : "At its wiry core, That Woman is a story about resilience, told by a triangle of characters who live dirty; who, because of their place at the bottom of the pile, are allowed to express life's depths, and in doing so, see its heights in a particularly illuminating way. As a reflection of clenched emotions playwright Daniel Danis's characters experience, the language, the style and the sparseness of the piece are its greatest assets."--Jodi Essery

nominated for the 2007 ACQT prize for Best English Theatre Production

Talisman Theatre