The Last Word
In the early days of Infinithéâtre, in addition to developing and producing new plays we, somehow, also found time to produce L’IT, a theatre magazine that added background and discussion to our productions. The publisher was our indefatigable Deputy Artistic Director Carolyn Guillet. As Artistic Director I gave myself the privilege of having the last word. Looking back on my “Last Word” essays, they are still surprisingly relevant.
The Last Word from various L’it magazines. 2000 -2012. Succinct, necessary and lucid. Check them out.
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An ode to “IT”, Jack Kerouac and Trevor Ferguson
What is inspiration? Is it in the heart or in the head? How does it deliver creativity? An ongoing riddle for any artist. Jack Kerouac nails it in his “IT” riff from On The Road.
(Winter 2001)
For more on the genesis of creativity see the CTR Summer 1992 article about David Smukler’s National Voice Intensive in the Journalism/Other Articles folder. (Link)
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The irresistible seduction of binary story-telling at the dawn of the new millennium
What are the consequences of the information overload in the age of google and social media? -We have no patience for in-depth, nuanced, understanding of issues or stories.
Written over twenty years ago, but even more relevant today.
(Spring 2002)
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The chaos of a director’s brain preparing to tackle the Bard
Creativity again. How does a director arrive at a coherent vision/concept for a play? This is a fascinating window on how a director prepares for a production.
(Winter 2003)
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A director’s “Road To Damascus” conversion on the virtues of George Bernard Shaw
Yes, I hated Shaw, had relegated him to the dustbin of history as a pompous, tiresome, wordy over-produced Brit who had occupied our stages to the detriment of Canadian plays. Then I started to work on his play, Major Barbara.
(Fall 2003)
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Why do we do English Theatre in Québec?
Still the burning question. We are a minority within a minority. After banging my head against the wall for 20 years, I do wonder if it was worth it.
(Fall 2005)
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Ten years of Infinithéâtre
Wow! What an amazing amount of great theatre we did in the first ten years. Take a look at the page itemizing the 17 venues we performed in just the first five years. And “The Infinite Journey”, our work load for those early years. We never got the acknowledgment/credit we deserved either from French theatre artists or media nor from an extremely petty and jealous English theatre community.
(Winter 2006)
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Dramatic irony and the invasion of Afghanistan
Can’t believe what I wrote about the invasion of Afghanistan in 2007. Read the article, I was 14 years ahead of our time. Is this proof that Canada should perhaps leave its foreign policy to its artists?
(Fall 2007)
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The state of our theatre now and tomorrow.
Theatre in Canada has hit the brick wall of a dead end, and the quality and craft has disappeared. A dire (but totally prophetic) warning about the future of our profession.
(Fall 2008)
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‘You don’t know what you don’t know, and, sir, you don’t know a lot.’
With a dead body on stage from the top, the audience know a tragedy has occurred and quickly understands …
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‘Why do we work on the bridge, DINO?’
As this L’it goes to press I am in the fortunate position of working on a production of Le Pont for the Théâtre Jean Duceppe (playing at Place des Arts to October 16.
(2005)
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YA, BUT WHY?
"TAKE MY THEATRE, PLEASE!" NEARLY TEN YEARS AGO, THE VOICE ON THE PHONE WAS TH AT OF MARI ANNE ACKERM AN, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF THEATRE 1774.