TEXT :SUZANNE LEBEAU DIRECTED BY :MARIE

TEXT : SUZANNE LEBEAU
DIRECTED BY : MARIE-EVE HUOT
CAST : SIMON LABELLE-OUIMET ET PHILOMÈNE LÉVESQUE-RAINVILLE
1
RÉSUMÉ
Plume is lively, chatty, cheerful. Taciturne, on the other hand, talks little, but he watches and listens.
His passion is music.
They live next door to each other, but that, it seems, is all they have in common. Only in the night,
with its spooky sounds and looming shadows, do they learn how to find out about each other,
smooth over their differences, and become friends.
A foundational play in Quebec theatre for young audiences, this poetic fable directly addresses the
idea of being open to another and to the world, expressed through a symbolic universe that children
instinctively understand.
2
PRESS EXCERPTS
“Marie-Eve Huot’s intimate style of direction brings the play to the children’s level, and they react
spontaneously and candidly. She has taken inspiration from the works of painter Marc Chagall to create a
magical universe with warm colours. Patrice Charbonneau-Brunelle’s set design is also superb.
“Children easily recognize themselves in Suzanne Lebeau’s simple, direct language. Lebeau knows how to
talk to children, and her theme is universal – the period when children define themselves in relation to the
other, the unknown, and the world.” Éric Moreau, Le Soleil
“With its intimate atmosphere and accessible story, Une lune entre deux maisons is completely appropriate
for an initiation to the theatre. It was a good thing to revive this play: who knows, perhaps children who
loved it thirty years ago will rediscover it with their own kids.” Magali Paquin, MonThéâtre.qc.ca
“Patrice Charbonneau-Brunelle’s set design is beautiful, and Marie-Eve Huot’s direction is refreshing, even
poetic. And I must say that the actors are charming: they truly embody tender, touching children. Bravo to
Philomène Lévesque-Rainville and Simon Labelle-Ouimet. In fact, I would say that Une lune entre deux
maisons was received as enthusiastically by parents as by their children.” Anne-Josée Cameron, RadioCanada
3
THE TEAM
Text : Suzanne Lebeau | Directed by : Marie-Eve Huot | Assistant director : Dominique Cuerrier | Cast :
Simon Labelle-Ouimet, and Philomène Lévesque-Rainville | Set design : Patrice CharbonneauBrunelle | Costumes : Cynthia Saint-Gelais | Lighting design : Thomas Godefroid | Original music :
Nicolas Letarte | Sound design : Nicolas Letarte and Alexi Babin Rioux | Make up and hair : Suzanne
Trépanier | Production and technical manager : Dominique Gagnon | Sound manager : Alexandre
Gendron | Lighting manager : Dominique Gagnon or Thomas Godefroid
PRODUCTION HISTORY
Premièred on March 7, 2012, by Le Carrousel at Théâtre les Gros Becs (Quebec City, Quebec); in
residency at Théâtre de la Ville (Longueuil, Quebec).
2011-2012 SEASON___________________________________________________ 53 performances
IN QUÉBEC :
Longueuil (expérimentales), Québec, Terrebonne, Beloeil, Montréal.
IN ONTARIO : Ottawa.
2012-2013 SEASON___________________________________________________ 11 performances
IN QUÉBEC :
Montreal, Trois-Rivières, Laval, Jonquière
PUBLICATIONS________________________________________________________________________
Leméac (Québec), 2012, Éditions Théâtrales (France), 2006; Éditions Québec/Amérique (Québec), 1980;
Ediciones Colihue (Argentine), 2006, ASSITEJ-Espagne (Espagne), 1983.
4
A WORD FROM THE PLAYWRIGHT
I wrote this play more than thirty years ago, when I had a three-year-old child who was learning about the
world by naming things with infinitely poetic pleasure and clumsiness. I watched my child go toward things
and come back, always drawn by what he didn’t know and reassured by what he knew. I wrote this play for
all the other children that I met in theatres, who were too young for the shows presented to them. I watched
them become interested and then get tired or be distracted by a force bigger than them, such as the desire
to go peepee or the need to make sure that their parent was there. I inferred their full but fragile attention
and I wanted to tell them a story that, I wagered, would keep their attention from beginning to end.
Suzanne Lebeau
A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
In a few minutes, you will enter the realm of Une lune entre deux maisons. I am delighted at the idea of this
encounter that you will have with this classic for young children that presents Plume and Taciturne, two
characters who get to know each other and, at the same time, open themselves to the world.
I am delighted with this encounter because I know the realm of Une lune, the wealth of its images and
symbols. I am delighted because I know the power of this fable, which highlights a decisive period in child
development: that of self-affirmation. It is when children define themselves in relation to the world, the other,
and the unknown. It is when new questions arise, when there is the first true contact with those around the
child, and thus when the first conflicts arise. Soon, you will know this realm, too!
Une lune entre deux maisons is written in simple, direct, and remorselessly precise language. This
language belongs, of course, to the characters in the play, but also to the young audiences that are
watching. It is a living language, which they use to describe the world they are experiencing – a language
that expresses the fundamental principles of existence: identity and ownership, the need to love and be
loved, and profound and irrational fears.
Two years ago, Suzanne Lebeau and Gervais Gaudreault made me the exceptional offer of re-creating Une
lune entre deux maisons for Le Carrousel. Surrounded by a wonderful team, I wanted to recount my own
Lune, the one of 2012 and the years that will follow, I hope!
I hope that this new version of Une Lune is as complete as the 1979 production. It is intended to reflect the
imagination of a new generation of artists and to be addressed to a new generation of audiences. It is a
wonderful adventure – both for you and your children who will see it for the first time and for us, who, as
young artists, are excited and very happy to present Une lune entre deux maisons!
Marie-Eve Huot
5
SUZANNE LEBEAU
PLAYWRIGHT
Suzanne Lebeau first intended to make a career as an actress. But after founding Le
Carrousel with Gervais Gaudreault in 1975, she gradually left acting to devote herself
exclusively to writing. Today, she has 27 original plays, three adaptations, and a
number of translations to her credit and is internationally recognized as a leader in
playwriting for young audiences. She is among the most-performed Quebec
playwrights in the world, with more than 140 productions of her works on all
continents. Her plays have been published in many countries and translated into 20
languages; Une lune entre deux maisons, the first Canadian play written specifically
for young children, L’Ogrelet, and Le bruit des os qui craquent, have been translated,
respectively, into six, eleven, and seven languages.
Suzanne Lebeau’s exceptional contribution to the flourishing of theatre for young audiences has earned her
numerous awards and distinctions, including the Governor General’s Literary Award for Drama in 2009; the Prix
Sony Labou Tansi des lycéens in 2009; and Prix des Journées de Lyon des auteurs de théâtre in 2007 for Le
bruit des os qui craquent, a play premièred by Le Carrousel and Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui in 2009 and staged in
2010 by the Comédie-Française. In 1998, the Assemblée internationale des parlementaires de langue française
made her a Knight of the Order of the Pleiades for her body of work, and in 2010 the Government of Quebec
awarded her the Prix Athanase-David, the most prestigious lifetime achievement recognition for Quebec authors.
Recently, The Bourse RIDEAU 2013, the network for performing arts presenters and one of the most important
international gatherings regarding the francophone arts scene in America, dedicated the Hommage Rideau
Award to her body of work. Experienced pedagogue, she taught writing for young audiences at the National
Theatre School of Canada for 13 years and acts as a consultant for young authors in Canada and other
countries, contributing to the emergence of new written works. She also gives conferences and workshops in
different countries around the globe.
MARIE-EVE HUOT
DIRECTOR
After she graduated from the National Theatre School of Canada in 2006, Marie-Eve
Huot began to reflect on productions devoted to children and young audiences during
her internship at three international festivals: Méli’môme (Reims), L’art et les toutpetits (Bruxelles), and Petits bonheurs (Montreal). One year later, she co-founded
Théâtre Ébouriffé, where she premièred Cabaret au bazar, Un château sur le dos
and Noeuds papillon.
In 2008, she received a grant from the Conseil des Arts de Montréal making it
possible for her to intern for six months with the artistic director of Le Carrousel,
which now sponsors Théâtre Ébouriffé. In 2011, she was the first guest director at Le Carrousel since 1987 and
reprised Suzanne Lebeau’s Une lune entre deux maisons. In February 2013, she won the LOJIQ/RIDEAU
Francophonie award for the quality, relevance, and appropriateness of her work in directing this play.
In 2012, she participated in the workshop “L'acteur-auteur” given by Wajdi Mouawad during the Laboratoires
français at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. One year later, she represented the Canadian branch of ASSITEJ
in an international creative internship organized by Next Generation as part of the SCHÄXPIR festival in Linz,
Austria. In 2013, she directed Reviens!, the winning play in the “Le théâtre jeune public et la relève” writing
competition organized by La Maison Théâtre, the theatre program at Collège Lionel-Groulx, et le Centre des
auteurs dramatiques.
Since 2008, she has been on the board of directors of TUEJ (she has been president of the association since
October 2011), and she joined the artistic committee of Maison Théâtre in January 2012.
Her first play, Nœuds papillon, has been published by Lansman Éditeur.
6
The cast :
Philomène Lévesque-Rainville and Simon Labelle-Ouimet
crédit photo : Audrey Boyle
Philomène Lévesque-Rainville
After graduating from the École de Théâtre de Saint-Hyacinthe,
Philomène Lévesque-Rainville became familiar with theatre
for young audiences through internships, including one with
Dynamo Théâtre. She also took part in a laboratory with Théâtre
Bouches Décousues that resulted in Marguerite, a show for
very young audiences. She has appeared in two productions at
Théâtre Tout à Trac: Les Vieilles and Alice au pays des merveilles
– she also performed in the English version of the latter play in
a tour of the United States; in Elsemeur with Théâtre Antigun;
and in Isberg with Théâtre le Clou, with which she toured in
France and Quebec for three years. In 2012, she has, among
other things, worked with Théâtre Ébouriffé in Un château sur
le dos. On television, she has played the role of Fée Licité in the
series Fée Éric on Vrak TV.
crédit photo : Maxime Côté
Simon Labelle-Ouimet
A graduate of the National Theatre School in 2011, Simon
Labelle-Ouimet is an actor with Théâtre La Roulotte, the same
year, in Pinocchio, a show for young audiences directed by
Hugo Bélanger. In addition to the performances at the NTS, he
was in the cast for a reading of Peanuts, in 2009, at Théâtre Aux
Écuries, directed by Sylvain Bélanger, and he participated in the
public laboratory on Éric Noël’s play La Mère, le Père, le Petit et
le Grand, at Maisons de la culture Frontenac and Mont-Royal.
In 2013, he has been seen in Le chant de Sainte Carmen de la
main, a new musical adaptation by René-Richard Cyr and Daniel
Bélanger of a Michel Tremblay classic, at TNM. On television, he
plays Olivier in Claude Meunier’s new series Adam et Ève.
Credits : Show photographs : François-Xavier Gaudreault. Other photographs : Sarah Scott, Maxime
Côté, Audrey Boyle
7
THE COMPANY
Convinced of the need for a true artistic encounter, Le Carrousel places at the core of its creative
approach the question “What should we say to children?” and reflects deeply on artists’ self-censorship
when dealing with young audiences. Supported by creative research that breaks through limits and
boundaries, artistic directors Suzanne Lebeau and Gervais Gaudreault have used their passion to form a
repertoire of original works that are considered, in Quebec and abroad, to be milestones in the history of
theatre for young audiences.
This unique vision of childhood and art, manifested in the emotional charge and intensity of Suzanne
Lebeau’s texts and the inventive sensitivity of Gervais Gaudreault’s directing, has made the company’s
reputation on national and international stages. For more than 35 years, Le Carrousel has sought to tear
down the walls between audiences and between practices, out of the conviction that theatre for children
must also reach out to and even disturb adults.
64
INTERNATIONAL TOURS
| 24
PREMIERES
| 68
INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS
4,500 PERFORMANCES | 1,000,000 AUDIENCE MEMBERS
NOTABLE PRODUCTIONS
UNE LUNE ENTRE DEUX MAISONS : first Canadian play written for small children. LITTLE VICTORIES: winner of the
Chalmers Children’s Play Award (1985). GIL, adapted from the novel by Howard Buten, Quand j’avais cinq ans, je
m’ai tué: best production for young audiences 1987–88 (Association québécoise des critiques de théâtre
(AQCT)). CONTE DU JOUR ET DE LA NUIT : Journal de Montréal’s Grand Prix de Théâtre in 1991. CONTES D’ENFANTS
RÉELS : Best production for young audiences 1992–93 (AQCT and Académie québécoise du théâtre). SALVADOR :
Prix Francophonie jeunesse Radio France Internationale (RFI) in 1994. PETIT NAVIRE : Grand Prize Tchicaya U
Tam’Si in the RFI Théâtre competition. L’OGRELET : Masques Award for original text and lighting design 1999
(Académie québécoise du théâtre) and Prix Teatralia 2000 (Madrid). PETIT PIERRE : 2004 Technical Award of
Merit from the Canadian Institute for Theatre Technologies. LE PAYS DES GENOUX : Governor General’s Award for
Literature 2005, Theatre section. CUENTOS DE NIÑOS REALES : Premios Atina 2006, award for best foreign play
presented in Argentina. LE BRUIT DES OS QUI CRAQUENT : 2010 Prix de littérature dramatique des collégiens, Île-deFrance Collidram, 2009 Governor General's Literary Award for Drama, 2009 Prix de la critique, young audiences
category, awarded by the Association québécoise des critiques de théâtre, 2009 Prix Sony Labou Tansi des
lycéens, 2008 Distinction de la Comédie-Française, and 2007 Prix des Journées de Lyon des auteurs de théâtre.
REPERTOIRE TRANSLATED INTO 20 LANGUAGES | MORE THAN 45 PUBLICATIONS AROUND THE WORLD
Le Carrousel and its team Artistic directors Suzanne Lebeau, Gervais Gaudreault | General
manager to be determined | Administrator Nathalie Ménard | Technical director Dominique Gagnon |
Director of the Booking and development Sylvain Cornuau | Assistant to the Booking and tour logistics
Ingrid Holler | Administrative Secretary Nathalie Darveau
2017, rue Parthenais Montreal (Quebec) Canada H2K 3T1 | 514 529-6309 | [email protected]
8
THEATROGRAPHY
By
2013
2012
2009
2006
2002
1997
1994
1993
1991
1989
1987
1984
1982
1979
1978
1977
1977
1976
1975
Suzanne Lebeau
GRETEL ET HANSEL
UNE LUNE ENTRE DEUX MAISONS
LE BRUIT DES OS QUI CRAQUENT
SOULIERS DE SABLE
PETIT PIERRE
L’OGRELET
SALVADOR
CONTES D’ENFANTS RÉELS
CONTE DU JOUR ET DE LA NUIT
COMMENT VIVRE PARMI LES HOMMES QUAND ON EST UN GÉANT
GIL, adapted from the novel by Howard Buten Quand j’avais 5 ans je m’ai tué
LA MARELLE
LES PETITS POUVOIRS
UNE LUNE ENTRE DEUX MAISONS
PETITE VILLE DEVIENDRA GRANDE
LA CHANSON IMPROVISÉE
CHUT! CHUT! PAS SI FORT!
LE JARDIN QUI S’ANIME
TI-JEAN VOUDRAIT BEN S’MARIER MAIS...
By
2010
Michèle Lemieux
NUIT D’ORAGE
By
2005
Geneviève Billette
LE PAYS DES GENOUX
By
1999
Dominick Pareauteau-Lebeuf
L’AUTOROUTE
By
1996
Normand Chaurette
PETIT NAVIRE
By
1988
Hélène Lasnier
242M106
AWARDS
-
-
Prix de littérature dramatique des collégiens en Île-de-France Collidram (2010); Governor General's
Literary Award for Drama (2009); Prix de la critique, young audiences category, awarded by the
Association québécoise des critiques de théâtre (2009); Prix Sony Labou Tansi des lycéens
(France, 2009); Distinction de la Comédie-Française (2008); Prix des Journées de Lyon des
auteurs de théâtre (2007) for Le bruit des os qui craquent;
Masque awards for original text, Académie québécoise du théâtre (2000) for L'Ogrelet;
The Assemblée internationale des parlementaires de langue française made Suzanne Lebeau a Knight
of the Order of the Pleiades (1988);
Prix Francophonie Jeunesse (1994) (Radio France Internationale/Francophonies Théâtrales pour la
Jeunesse) for Salvador;
Theatre grand prize, Journal de Montréal (1991) for Conte du jour et de la nuit;
Chalmers Children's Play Award for Les Petits Pouvoirs/ Little Victories (1985).
9