From high school to Mars: undercurrents theatre festival aims to build bridges

Published Feb 06, 2024 • 4 minute read

Elizabeth Logue appears in Keep Mars Red, a new play from Wakefield that serves as a warning to Mars should humans attempt to colonize the planet. It’s part of the undercurrents theatre festival.

This year’s undercurrents theatre festival aims to build bridges between disparate worlds, whether they’re separated by language, demographics, physical ability or any other characteristic.

Between Feb. 7 and 18, there are plays in French and English, shows for children and adults, one piece written by a doctor and another created by a person with limited vision, plus a monologue that warns Mars about the impact of colonization. In all, there are 40 performances and events.

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This multi-pronged approach to programming started when executive director Alain Richer, who grew up speaking French in Cornwall, noticed there wasn’t much crossover between the English and French theatre communities in Ottawa. He’s been in charge of undercurrents, a curated showcase of original contemporary theatre, and its sister festival, Fringe Ottawa, a celebration of experimental theatre in which artists are chosen by lottery, since 2021. (This year’s Fringe runs from June 13-23.)

“There is some great English theatre in the city and some great French theatre, but for artists and theatre creators in a city that is so bilingual, those worlds don’t cross nearly enough,” Richer said in an interview. “We’re trying to have these audiences exist together for a couple of weeks under one roof, where you’re going to see a French show followed by an English one.”

To make it even more accessible, the French shows will be captioned in English.

“If your French isn’t that great, you can still follow along,” he said. “The goal wasn’t to replace English programming. What we’re offering has really almost doubled the size of the festival.”

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One highlight is expected to be Le Concierge, a site-specific show created by the Toronto-based francophone team of Daniele Bartolini and Vincent Leblanc-Beaudoin, who’s a University of Ottawa theatre graduate. They sold out their run in Toronto last spring.

The tale follows the nightly journey of a school janitor and is designed to be performed in a school, not on a theatre stage. For this week’s Ottawa run, it takes place in the hallways and classrooms of De La Salle High School, with an audience tagging along.

“We’re excited about this because it’s a different type of show that lends itself to one of the things we’re trying to achieve this year, which is taking a theatrical experience a little bit outside of the stereotypical four walls of a theatre, and including something that is a bit more interactive,” Richer said.

It’s important to note, he added, that the role of the janitor is wordless so you don’t have to understand French to follow the story, although the musical soundtrack features French-language lyrics. Co-creator Bartolini describes it as a piece that questions the place of today’s working class.

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Other new, bridge-building initiatives at this year’s undercurrents include an art show in the festival’s lobby at Arts Court, a Capital Pride-sponsored late-night burlesque show, a francophone music night with bilingual chanteuse Jessy Lindsay, and the first family-friendly, immersive French presentation, entitled L’hippocampe. Suitable for children aged four and up, it combines theatre, drawing, mechanical art and more to investigate why we dream.

Following the post-pandemic rebuilding phase of the last couple of years, both undercurrents and Ottawa Fringe are growing, Richer said, thanks in part to the pick-your-price model for ticket sales that’s been in effect since 2020. You can decide whether you want to pay $10, $20, $50 or $75 for a show.

“It’s been popular since it started and it really supported the growth of the festival and the ability of people to attend it,” he said, “especially when it’s February in Ottawa. That’s always been a time when it’s a challenge to get people out.”

More information about this year’s program is below. Most shows take place at Arts Court (2 Daly Ave.). For tickets and times, go to https://ottawafringe.com/undercurrents/.

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Main Stage series:

Kimiko by Kaylie Hatashita: After a sold-out 2023 Fringe run, Kimiko returns with a blend of Japanese circus art and storytelling to tell a story of growing up Japanese in Canada.

Terminally Ill: The world premiere of a play by Melissa Yi, an emergency physician in Ottawa known for her medical mystery novels.

A scene from Terminally Ill, a new play by Melissa Yi that’s part of Ottawa’s undercurrents festival. Photo by Courtesy /ott

Through My Lens: From Theatre Replacement in Vancouver, this new work by Amy Amantea, an artist with just 2 per cent vision in one eye, was inspired by her photography practice.

Blood Offering: The world premiere of a play by Ottawa’s Vishesh Abeyratne that explores the aftermath of yet another mass shooting in the United States.

Malunderstood: With comedy, puppetry and movement, Montreal’s Kenny Streule examines his upbringing in a French translation of his hit autobiographical comedy.

I Don’t Even Miss You: From Edmonton’s Tiny Bear Jaws theatre company comes a solo show in which a non-binary computer programmer wakes up one morning to discover they are alone, and uses artificial intelligence to create a friend.

Discovery series:

Keep Mars Red: Wakefield’s Elizabeth Logue and Brian Sanderson have written a show to warn Mars of the impending doom if earthlings like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos land on the planet.

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L’hippocampe: Written by Marie-Ève Fontaine and Judith Poitras, this immersive family-friendly French-language play finds two researchers attempting to demystify our dreams in a laboratory.

Chasse au Trésor: A French play by Chançard Lemvo et Éric Beevis about a young man of Congolese descent newly arrived in Canada.

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