An original new play by Théâtre français de Toronto, La Troupe du Jour et Fittonia Films
Chanda Gibson, Geneviève Langlois, Hannah Forest Briand, Felix LeBlanc
lt all starts with Corinne, who decides to knock at the door of a small dilapidated building to offer a goldfish as a gift. She then meets Marthe, Fred and the Little One, in a world of dismal humour where everything seems strangely familiar to her. Several questions are intertwined in Marie-Claire Marcotte’s play, that reflects on the meaning of family and what can remain of it after trauma.
Thanks to a long List of precious people who have accompanied me throughout the writing process, and to a beautifully bizarre rehearsal period (thanks COVID}, Flush is finally ready to be presented.
This play has been in the works for several years now, and I feel privileged to have witnessed the remarkable tenacity of the entire artistic team who have been involved in this project since the beginning. Our will to create has been put to the test, and we came out of it united and more eager, not only to make art together, but most importantly, for you, our dear audience. I want to express a huge thank you to the two companies that supported Flush : La Troupe du Jour and Théâtre français de Toronto. Without the support of their former Artistic Directors and their successors, this show would not be possible.
Flush investigates the little bruises of our souls, the ones that come up to the surface during the most inopportune moments, and the ones that make us close ourselves off to love. How does one learn to love again? This worthy endeavour could take a whole lifetime, amid much clumsiness. While we can often find great humour in such clumsiness, it also elicits much sorrow. I invite you into the world of four characters who are dear to me and who, following a huge trauma, try to find their way back to each other. With awkwardness and charm.
I remain infinitely grateful for the magic brought forth by the creative team made up of artists from Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia. What a dream!
Marie-Claire Marcotte
I have been following the development of this script, penned by Marie-Claire Marcotte, very closely for several years now. I still remember the first ‘writing workshop’ of this very play in TfT’s studio. I remember being struck by the unique writing style of this multi-talented author, originally from Saskatchewan, and discovering her unusual universe. Flush is the story of an unconventional family, told with an uncommon, almost supernatural humour. In the end, what makes the characters in this play so endearing is their very human desire to belong—to be recognized and loved.
The play has since been published by L’Interligne and premiered last year in Saskatoon as a co-production between Théâtre français de Toronto, La Troupe du Jour, and Fittonia Films.
I am eager to finally see this production here at Berkeley Street Theatre. I can’t wait for TfT audiences to discover this author, now based in Toronto, and all the talent she has to offer.
Enjoy the show!
Karine Ricard
Marie-Claire (she/her) is a writer, director, actress and producer from Treaty 4 territories in Saskatchewan. She is based in Tkarón:to/Toronto and wherever life takes her.
She has participated in residencies in Canada (Banff Centre—Leighton Studios), Belgium (Centre des écritures dramatiques W-B), France (La Chartreuse) and in Martinique (ETC Caraïbes, Zones, CEAD). Her plays, Flush and Peau, published by Éditions L’Interligne, have been awarded and nominated in Canada and in France. She has been involved in the ideation and co-writing of numerous theatre and film projects. Her screenwriting was most notably recognized at the Los Angeles Film Awards, the Canadian Screen Awards and Webfest Berlin. She continues to assist artists, theatre and film companies as a dramaturg and script editor.
As a director, the majority of her theatre work has been site-specific and influenced by a cinematic logic. Her screen directing can be seen online (TFO network) and she is slated to direct her first feature in 2023. Select acting nominations include Dora, Jessie, SATA, NZ Web Fest and Queen Palm International Film Festival.
She is a graduate of the International School of Comedy in Reggio Emilia, Italy and of the George Brown College Theatre Arts program in Toronto.
She remains in constant wonder of birds and most importantly, she loves to hear the woodpecker’s persistent pecking on the trees and the call of the loon.
Chanda Gibson, a Franco-Ontarian actress and multi-talented artist, is a graduate of the University of Ottawa’s Theatre Department (2005).
Her theatre credits include: Le Passé antérieur, Exit(s), Silence en Coulisses ! Les Médecins de Molière, Boeing Boeing, iShow, Les Précieuses ridicules and Peau de Marie-Claire Marcotte.
On the small screen, she had lead roles in: Météo+, Les Bleus de Ramville as well as the role of the exuberant Dame Viviane in Mehdi et Val, a youth series from Slalom Productions (RDI).
At Théâtre français de Toronto, Chanda directed her first productions for young audiences (Les Zinspirés : Cinq sur Cinq, Six degrés de séparation and L’Âge de raison), for which she won the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Best Director two years in a row (2017).
At TfT, Chanda also directed Eugène Ionesco’s La Cantatrice chauve. Recently, Chanda joined Mini TFO as a writer.
This winter, she is delighted to be back on stage in Flush.
Originally from Montreal, Geneviève graduated from St-Hyacinthe’s Theatre Program in 1986.
At Théâtre français de Toronto, she played in L’invitation au Château, Les précieuses ridicules, Tartuffe, La critique de l’école des femmes, Feu de la mère Madame and Portrait chinois d’une imposteure. She has also appeared in Tout comme elle (Brigitte Haentjens, Sibyllines), Orange mécanique (Tandem, Montreal), Serpent Kills (Crow’s Theatre), Dali (Crow’s Theatre), Flowers (Grand théâtre), Fou (Michael Kennard and John Turner) Ionesco’s La Cantatrice Chauve, directed by Chanda Legroulx, and more recently in Entre deux mondes by Alain Doom, directed by Louise Naubert (Théâtre La Tangente).
On television, she has appeared in Caleb’s Daughters, L’Or du temps, La femme Nikita, Side Effects, Charlotte’s World, Virginie, Lobby, Unité 9, Kung fu, Jean Duceppe, Brimstone, La courte échelle and Friday the 13th.
Geneviève is also part of the series Eaux Turbulentes 2, directed by Jim Donovan, which currently airs on icitouttv. On the silver screen, she will soon appear in Lyne Charlebois’ Pourquoi les choses sont si belles.
Originally from Quebec City, Hannah is a bilingual queer artist. Passionate about the arts, humans and adventures, Hannah graduated from George Brown School in Toronto in 2020 after studying psychology. Since then, she has participated in several television and theatre projects, including a lead role in the Web series Les Liaisons Dangereuses : Correspondances inédites as well as the play Les Zinspiré.e.s : Dix-joncté.e.s, both produced by Théâtre français de Toronto (TfT). You will also soon see her in the play Darkest Dark directed by Jim Millan at the Young People Theatre.
Felix LeBlanc is an award-winning actor, singer, dancer, and multi-instrumentalist.
He is a graduate of the Canadian College of Performing Arts, has trained in Clown at the Manitoulin Conservatory for Creation and Performance, stage managed operas and musicals, holds a certification in stage combat from Fight Directors Canada, DJ’d his own radio show, composes and arranges original music, and plays an ever increasing list of instruments.
Making a name for himself as a versatile performer who is always ready for a challenge, Felix has worked all across Western Canada and the territories at Canada’s top theatres.
His previous theatre credits include: Smokey Mountain Christmas Carol, Masterclass (Arts Club); Buddy in Elf: The Musical, Fiddler on the Roof (Persephone Theatre); 39 Steps, Lumberjacks in Love (Chemainus Theatre); Bright Star (Rosebud Theatre); Mamma Mia (Globe Theatre); Mary Poppins (Rubarb Theatre); Tent Meeting, Chickens (Station Arts Theatre Centre); Diamond Tooth Gerties (Dynamite Stage Productions). Felix is a graduate of The Canadian College of Performing Arts.
Upcoming: Carl Perkins in Million Dollar Quarter (Arts Club).
Kenton Doupes