TfT’s Artistic Director’s Note

The first time I saw an ‘In Situ’ performance was about 25 years ago when I was in Italy studying Comedia Dell’ Arte. At the time, it was a new form of live art, often without spoken words, which was mostly seen in Europe. It was an unusual way of telling a story with you in the center of it, breaking the fourth wall. Being up close and personal with the performers gives the audience a feeling of being totally involved and invested in the story, as well as experiencing a certain intimacy with the characters. It reminds me of those books in which you are both the narrator and the protagonist.

When Vincent Leblanc-Beaudoin told me about Le Concierge, which would be directed by Daniele Bartolini, a director hailing from Italy, I was immediately won over by the concept and I wanted to see how audiences used to traditional theatre would react. In the theatre, as in life, you sometimes have to take risks and try new things if you want to continue evolving. I have always associated theatre with movement. This time I invite you to move with him, with this form of theatre, with Vincent and his Caretaker, to enter his world, to go on the other side of the fourth wall, on the other side of the mirror. Follow him!

Enjoy the show!

Karine Ricard

The Director’s Note

Aprire il sipario sul nulla.

Open the curtain to nothing.

Open the doors of silence and night.

Enter the other side for a while, the hidden face.

Tonight we become a chorus, following a solitude: the character / symbol “Le Concierge”.

Our inner solitude.

Our collective solitude.

With this show we open the curtain to the void.

John Cage as our map.

Perhaps we listen to space instead of looking at it. A surgical listening.

We listen to space and silence.

A theatre without a spectacle. Without representation.

Nothing happens. (Apart from a few tricks that the night always plays on us).

We look at the invisible work that awaits us in the morning. The invisible work that a god does to keep everything in order? Or the vain work that a man does to try to keep all the pieces together?

A documentary, a mockumentary, about nothing.

Then something happens in the non-happening: this solitude opens up to vision.

Naïve painters, Antonio Ligabue, a lot of Edward Hopper.

At that point the colours hidden by the concrete unfold, the presence of the absence manifests itself, the echoes of silence begin to play.

Tadeusz Kantor. Umarla Klasa. (The Dead Class).

We make contact with desperation; with the tears that make us humans.

We discover our character / symbol “Le Concierge” is not the island to be explored but the ferryman who brought us there.

A breath, a whistle takes him away.

He returns to the dark where he came from.

We discover (perhaps) we’re the island.

Daniele Bartolini

Biographies

Vincent Leblanc-Beaudoin

Performer/Co-Creator/Producer

Vincent is a two-time Jessie Award winning and a multiple Dora Award nominated actor who works in both French and English. He has an Honours B.A. with Specialization in Theatre from the University of Ottawa, is a graduate of Studio 58, and he has completed the Manitoulin Conservatory for Creation and Performance’s summer intensive.

His theatre credits include Camping Royale (Corpus Dance Projects), Dusk Dances/Danses au crépuscule, Les Zinspiré.e.s (Théâtre français de Toronto), If on a Christmas Night (DLT), The Curious Voyage (Talk is Free Theatre), Histoire d’amour (BoucharDanse), Unité Modèle (Théâtre la Seizième), Catacomb (Summerworks Performance Festival), Anonyme (Vortex Theatre), Bonjour, Là, Bonjour (Théâtre la Seizième), The Stranger (DLT), Bull (Rumble Theatre), Mathieu Mathématiques (Théâtre la Seizième), Let’s Talk About Sex, I Can’t Tell You (San Diego/Tijuana/Vancouver/Victoria Fringes), and Selfie (Théâtre la Seizième). He was recently awarded the RBC National Excellence Award for an emerging artist from la Fondation pour l’avancement du théâtre francophone au Canada.

His film & TV credits include Makinium Seasons 1-4 (Radio-Canada), La Malédiction de Jonathan Plourde (Super Écran), Girlfriends’ Guide To Divorce (Bravo Network) and Abigaëlle et le date coaching (TV5/Unis). www.vincentleblancbeaudoin.com

Daniele Bartolini (DLT)

Co-creator/Director

Daniele Bartolini’s artistic practice has been described by the New York Times as “an especially intriguing investigation” and by PaneAcquaCulture as “the theatre of the future”.

Born and raised in Florence, Daniele lived and worked in Paris in 2010 and 2011, before immigrating to Toronto in 2012. He conceives and carries on projects in English, French and Italian. His work has been presented in England, India, Germany, Italy, Romania and Canada. Over the course of his career, he has received three Dora Awards nominations, a Telus Newcomer Award nomination and he is recipient to the RBC Newcomer Price and a nomination from PaneAcquaCutlure to the Premio Rete Critica. His work he been produced by La Biennale di Venezia, the National Arts Centre, Soulpepper, Canadian Stage and SummerWorks, Khoi International Artists’ Association in New Delhi and other International institutions.

Daniele is the Artistic Director of DLT, a company known for city-spanning and multidisciplinary experiences where the participants take on the role of protagonists. Its unique style of theatre is called “audience specific”, it centers around the audience who’s elevated as co-author of the narrative they experience.

Andrea Gozzi

Sound Design

Musician and musicologist, graduate of Université Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis in music, and team member of Tempo Reale, the Florence centre for research, production, and musical pedagogy founded by Luciano Berio. PhD student at SAGAS (University of Florence), Andrea Gozzi is also a lecturer in Sound Design at the Académie LABA of Florence and in rock history and Sound Design at DAMS (University of Florence). As a musician, he has worked with Italian and international artists, live and in the studio. A participant in events such as LIVE 8 in 2005 in Rome, he has also played in France, England, Germany, and Canada. He has published books and essays dedicated to the history of rock and musical biographies in Italy and in Canada.

Sarah Mansikka

Lighting Design

Sarah is thrilled to be a part of Le Concierge’s creative team. She has worked as a lighting designer and lighting director throughout Canada and Europe for over 20 years. Sarah has recently been working with Political Movement, Musique 3 Femmes, and The WeeFestival. She also worked as the Lighting Director for Rimini Protokoll’s world tour of Best Before and as an Assistant Lighting Designer with The Canadian Opera Company and The Stratford Festival.

Melanie Mcneill

Set and Costume Design

Melanie is a Toronto based set and costume designer who has worked extensively with Eldritch Theatre, Theatre français de Toronto, and Videocabaret, amongst many others. She is also a Production Designer and Art Director in the tv world. Melanie has received 3 Dora Awards, 7 other Dora nominations, and a Prix Rideaux Award. Melanie is a graduate of TMU (formerly Ryerson Theatre School), and a member of Associated Designers of Canada.

Marie-Josée Chartier

Movement Consultant

A versatile artist, whose talents transcend the boundaries of dance, music, opera and multi-media, Marie-Josée moves easily between her roles as choreographer, performer, director, vocalist and educator. Her pieces have been presented at festivals and by dance companies across Canada, Europe and Latin America. Her work was the subject of documentary films presented on Television and film festivals. In 2003, she founded Chartier Danse to create a cornerstone for large scale productions in Canada and abroad. She is a highly sought-after artistic advisor and mentor. Since 2004, Marie-Josée directs/stages opera, dance and multi-media productions that tour nationally and internationally. Collaborations include: BoucharDanse, Gryphon Trio, Queen of Puddings, Tapestry Opera, Arraymusic, Theaturtle, l’Ensemble Contemporain de Montréal (ECM+), the Glenn Gould School, the Banff Centre and upcoming the Canadian Opera Company.  Awards include:  Jacqueline Lemieux Prize (2015); K.M. Hunter Artist Award (2001), 9 Dora Mavor Moore nominations; recipient for fifty- one pieces of silver for Dancemakers (2002) and two Doras with the collective URGE for And by the way Miss (2005). www.mariejoseechartier.com

Melanie Hall

Production Manager

Meet Melanie, a Toronto-based stage manager and production manager qui passe son temps switching back and forth de l’anglais to French.

With over 10 years of stage management experience, her credits include: Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario, Théâtre la Catapulte, Sheatre, BoucharDanse, Dusk Dances, Théâtre français de Toronto, Perchance Theatre, Pride Toronto, the Toronto District School Board, the Toronto International Film Festival, and the ceremonies at the 2017 Invictus Games and the 2015 PanAm and ParapanAm Games.

In her career, she has worked extensively with Théâtre français de Toronto, not only as a stage manager, but also as a production manager and surtitle creator.

Melanie is also an entrepreneur and life skills coach. With her workshops and private coaching, Melanie is changing the way we all think about the foundational skills we never learned. From note taking to goal setting, Melanie is helping students build life skills and self-confidence so they can thrive in and out of the classroom.

Remington North

Technical Director

Remington North is a career Technical Director and Production Manager. Working both as a venue steward (a caretaker if you will) and an agent of shows on behalf of non-venued companies. He derives his professional mandate from the word facilitate via the Latin facile (easily). Making art is hard and Remington endeavours to make it easier, in some measure, for those working through their craft. Remington has worked with J-Mar Electric, Canadian Stage, Crow’s Theatre, The Theatre Centre, Soulpepper, Volcano Theatre, YES! Theatre, Why Not Theatre, Against the Grain, and many other companies in the region. He’s so very excited to help bring this wonderful work of art to you with a truly excellent team.

Chin Palipane

Technician

Chin Palipane is a Toronto-based Theatre Artist and Lighting Designer. He is a proud member of Coyote Collective and the current TD of The Assembly Theatre. When not working on gigs or designing shows, he can be found reading or consuming far too much Netflix with Durzo. He absolutely adores breakfast at non-breakfast times and a good cup of coffee/tea. He is thrilled to be a part of this production and hopes you enjoy the performance!

Christoph Ibrahim

Stage Manager

Christoph is so excited to be working on this incredible piece of storytelling! A Toronto based singer, actor, stage manager, and educator, Christoph graduated from York University’s Theatre program with a double specialization in Devised Theatre and Design. After graduating, Christoph dove into the world of Stage Management, alongside his performance career, and continues to work in theatre, both on stage and off, often wearing many hats. Christoph is passionate about creating and developing new works and, although he has primarily been working in Musical Theatre in recent years, he is excited to jump back into the world of site-specific theatre with this original piece! When he is not in the theatre, he can be found singing with the Juno Award winning Toronto Mass Choir. Select favourite stage management credits include: Something Rotten, The Lightning Thief, The Drowsy Chaperone, Drama 101 (2017 & 2019 Toronto Fringe), Legally Blonde, Newsies (Bravo Academy for the Performing Arts), Forever Plaid (Starvox Entertainment), Hansel & Gretel, The Crack of Doom (Yellow Door Theatre Project). A huge Thanks to Vincent and the whole TFT team! @Christophib

Thanks

Canada Council for the Arts; Ontario Arts Council; The Toronto Arts Council; L’ATFC and La fondation pour l’avancement du théâtre francophone au Canada; Théâtre Action and festival Les Feuilles Vives; Theatre Smith-Gilmour; L’École Catholique Saint-Frère-André; Le Conseil Scolaire Catholique MonAvenir; Le Programme Spécialisé en Arts de Toronto; École secondaire catholique Monseigneur de Charbonnel; WeeFestival - Arts and Culture for Early Years; Long & McQuade

École Catholique Saint-Frère-André’s students!

Karine Ricard, Ghislain Caron and TfT’s team; Ada Aguilar; Joël Beddows; Patrice Bouchard; Isla Brown; Billy Boulet Gagnon; Marie-Josée Chartier; Hardish Dhaliwal; Nick DiGaetano; Timothy Eaton; Memorial Church; Joanna Grace - Musical Expression Coach (joannagrace.ca); Isabelle Gobeil and Joséphine Leblanc-Beaudoin; Jenny Hazelton; Geneviève Lip; Nina Okens; Noémi Parenteau Comfort; Arianna Severi; Raylene Turner; John Turner and the MCCP (The Clown Farm); Greg Wilkie; Marta Zannoner

In Images

Donors and Partners of TfT

List of donors List of partners