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Tintamarre tours Bilingual Comedy, May 1-14

Canadian University Press Releases

April 27, 2006

Source: :
http://www.mta.ca/news/?id=1006

Tintamarre tours Bilingual Comedy, May 1-14

SACKVILLE, NB — Tintamarre, Mount Allison University’s bilingual theatre company will tour "Allô, Pascale!," an original bilingual comedy, to schools in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia May 1-14.

Alex Fancy, founder and director of Tintamarre, says "ten actors will play 26 characters 20 times during a period of two weeks, for upwards of 3,000 spectators." He also explains that the actors, all Mount Allison students, perform in two languages and take care of all aspects of production. He says, "This is a wonderful adventure in leadership, risk-taking and problem-solving."

Tintamarre’s unique collaborative approach begins when Fancy shares an idea with volunteers from throughout the University, and challenges them to brainstorm and improvise, after which he writes the bilingual script.

Fancy says that this year’s script, which was developed by 25 people, is "a bilingual cyber-comedy for anyone who has ever felt disoriented."

Pierre and Pauline Petitpas are businesspersons on the move, and they have not had much time for Pascale, their daughter who, they lament, "disappeared one day when our backs were turned."

In fact, she is barricaded in her room, sharing secrets with someone in China. But she is not alone, as strange forms escape from the Internet, invade her space and then venture even farther. The ensuing carnavalesque chaos is balanced by more serious themes, and the play reflects a world where boundaries are erased and we can have more to say to someone in Nanking than to the person in the next room.

The person in Nanking is Tschen who, like Pascale, is haunted by an event in his past that caused him to take refuge on the Internet. Thanks to the magic powers of Web Cameron, the two events are projected onto the stage and show that, in the global village, we have commonalities and some very striking differences.

Just when things start to get serious the Petitpas house in invaded by a fearsome creature from the Internet who shows the other characters their strength as well as their weakness. The play ends on a tongue-in-cheek note of reconciliation when we are reminded that tolerance and understanding should begin at home.

Drama Major Sarah Spires has been assistant director; set and costumes were designed by Decima Mitchell, assisted by Sue Rose; Krista Lane, a drama major, designed sound; and Dr. Nancy Vogan of the music department worked with the cast as sound consultant.

Tintamarre aims to promote the acceptance of diversity, and to encourage an enhanced awareness of the place drama and theatre can have in teaching and learning. School performances are followed by conversations with audiences; Andrew Kerr, who will tour this year for the fourth time, says he "so looks forward to those discussions." This year’s "Tintamarrathon" is funded by the Marjorie Young Bell Committee.

Tour Schedule

Monday, May 1

Birchmount School, Moncton — 8 a.m. - 10:20 a.m.

Marshview Middle School, Sackville — 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. and 1 p.m. -2 p.m.

Tuesday, May 2

Sackville High School, Sackville, NS — 9:45 a.m. – 11 a.m.

Avon View High School, Windsor, NS — 2 p.m.

Wednesday, May 3

Pugwash District High School — 1:40 p.m.

Thursday, May 4

Springhill Junior/Senior High Schools — 9 a.m.- 10:10 a.m. and 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Friday, May 5