#PigeonsAffamés: Like no other theatrical experience

Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario (TNO) is one of the many amazing theatre groups we’re lucky enough to have here in Sudbury. This week TNO  is welcoming #PigeonsAffamés which is a production from Théâtre du Trillium. #PigeonsAffamés is a traveling production that will be in Sudbury from March 2nd until the 4th. We spoke with them to find out a bit more about this new production.

What is Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario?

Founded in 1971, the Theatre du Nouvel-Ontario (TNO) is a theatre company based in Sudbury whose mission is to value contemporary works by Franco-Ontarian authors and Canadian playwrights. We create, produce, tour and welcome new works and repertory from across Canada as well as foster development of artists. We also foster Canadian dramaturgy and theatre. In terms of programming, the TNO tries to introduce different artistic approaches as well as make them accessible to our audiences. Its theatre seasons not only serve all age groups, but also include artistically stimulating and accessible works.

Tell us about #PigeonsAffamés.

Produced by Théâtre du Trilium in Ottawa, #PigeonsAffamés is like #noothertheatricalexperience. If social media were theatre, this is what they would look like. A torrent of comments, news, messages and images gushes forth without rhyme or reason. A Babel of intimate and public voices intermingle. But there’s a common thread to it all: the desperate need to comfort troubled minds. On stage, seven actors, dancers, singers and slammers create an amazing performance that’s like nothing you’ve ever seen. It’s not quite dance or performance art; it’s totally theatrical, richly emotional and astonishingly thought-provoking!

The performance consists of actors, dancers, singers and slammers – for those of us that are unfamiliar what exactly is a slammer? 

Oh yeah! A slammer is someone who does slam poetry. It resembles rap but differs in the sense that rap focuses on rhythm and musicality whereas slam is often done without any music. In this case, the performers deliver poetic text to a rhythm and rhyme, using only their voices. All the actors on stage alternate between song and dance, slam and speech. None of the voice work is recorded, it’s all done live. Also, they have been training for the last three years with a voice coach as well as a movement coach. The result is quite impressive!

Is this a travelling production? Where else will they be performing? 

#PigeonsAffamé is a traveling production! Since September, the production has toured in Montréal, Ottawa and Toronto in various theatres. Up next #PiegonsAffamés will be passing in Hearst in March, Winnipeg in April and Kingston in Mai. Watch out! They might fly to another city after that!

When is the production and where can we get tickets? Is the play only in french or will those who don’t speak french fluently be able to follow along?

The production will be at the TNO from March 2^nd to March 4^th at 8pm. There is also a 2pm performance on Saturday. For people who are not fluent in French, that’s ok! The play is French but we have subtitles for our Saturday performances at 2pm and 4pm.

Find out more about Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario on their website: letno.ca. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.