Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Toronto, December 19, 2012 – Théâtre français de Toronto (TfT) is proud to present Two Rooms by Canadian award-winning playwright Mansel Robinson. Translated into French by Jean Marc Dalpé, this powerful, timely play will be presented in French with English surtitles for one week only at Berkeley Street Theatre, from January 30 to February 3.
“This play is about getting lost in hatred,” says Robinson. “Well, that’s not quite right — [but] it’s kind of a swamp, anyway, where you lose your better nature … Maha (Elkahna Talbi) tells a story, right off the top of the play, about how she’s racially attacked verbally in an airport — and that’s where the play started for me, because [in the past] I started to feel like that guy who attacks her. I would look at old Muslim women on planes and [think], ‘It’s your fault that I have to take my boots off!’ This was very disappointing, to act like that. [I would think] ‘F**k — I hate this War on Terror thing, because I just used to be afraid to fly, but now I’m afraid to fly with a 12-year-old Sikh kid, and I’m mad at everybody!’ And it’s just painful and horrible to look at the world like that… Ultimately, the story became: what happens if I keep travelling on that path of suspicion and paranoia and anger and resentment and fear? To me, those are the words of this War on Terror.”
MERCIER is a police officer: Canadian, white, charming, very old school. Maha, his wife, is a doctor: young, beautiful, intelligent, and Muslim. She has a lot to confess. So does he. In a suspenseful production directed by Geneviève Pineault, Jean Marc Dalpé, who also translated this award-winning Mansel Robinson script, shares the stage with Elkahna Talbi. Together, they divulge this text that dissects the mechanisms of collective paranoia and questions our fears.
Two Rooms by Mansel Robinson: January 30 to February 3, 2013.
French translation by Jean Marc Dalpé. Direction: Geneviève Pineault.
With Jean Marc Dalpé and Elkahna Talbi.
A Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario and Théâtre de la Vieille 17 co-production.
Théâtre français de Toronto at Berkeley Street Theatre – 26 Berkeley Street, upstairs.
Artistic Adviser Esther Beauchemin. Assistant Director and Stage Manager (production) Emanuelle Langelier. Stage Manager on tour Diane Fortin. Set and Props Normand Thériault. Soundscape AYMAR. Lights Guillaume Houët. Costumes Isabelle Bélisle.
Théâtre français de Toronto wishes to thank its sponsors: Scotiabank, Show Sponsor; and Sun Life Financial, Surtitles Sponsor.
Opening: Wednesday, January 30 at 8 pm – Evening performances: Wednesday to Saturday, 8 pm – Saturday
matinee: 3:30 pm – Sunday matinee: 2:30 pm – English surtitled performances: Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.
Tickets: Adults $33 to $48 | Seniors (65 and up): $28 to $41.
Special rates: Pay-What-You-Can Wednesday evening and Rush Tickets ($20) Saturday evening. Special-rate tickets are available at the box office one hour before performance. Cash payment.
Box Office: www.theatrefrancais.com and (416) 534-6604 or 1-800-819-4981
Photo: Elkahna Talbi and Jean Marc Dalpé. ©2012 Mathieu Girard.
2012-12-19
Toronto: Théâtre français de Toronto presents Mansel Robinson’s “Two Rooms” January 30-February 3, 2013