David French

A production of Salt-Water Moon on Granville Island next month stars two amazing young actors: 18-year old Jesse DeCoste, and 16-year old Sofia Newman. The two got to know one another during a high school production of Grease. Sofia and Jesse are both serious about pursuing careers in the theatre, and Jesse is off to LAMDA in London in the fall. The fact that the actors are so close to the ages of the characters in the play will add an authenticity to the show…and both have proven that they have the acting chops!

Sofia has a family connection to David’s work — her mother, Lisa Bunting, played April in Bill Glassco’s wonderful production of 1949 at CentreStage (now Canadian Stage.) Sofia’s father, Richard Newman, directs the show. He once played Jacob in Of The Fields, Lately – and he saw several premiere productions of David’s plays while in Toronto.

Designers for the show include Amy McDougall (costumes) and Sean Malmas (set and lighting), both of whom have worked with the Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival. Further information about the show can be found here: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/241512

Break legs to all involved! If you’re in the area, be sure to pick up tickets. The show runs from June 19 through 29th at the Carousel Studio Theatre.

I’m happy to report that Theatre Northwest in Prince George, B.C. will be producing That Summer in September and October.

Theatre Northwest is one of Canada’s smaller regional theatres, but the organization has gained a reputation for its exceptional production values, its penchant for casting from across the country, and the local enthusiasm for Canadian work. Some of the theatre’s most popular productions include Corker by Wendy Lill, A Guide to Mourning by Eugene Stickland, Amigo’s Blue Guitar by Joan MacLeod, The Invisibility of Eileen by Kit Brennan, Thy Neighbour’s Wife by Tara Beagan and the works of Norm Foster, Guy Vanderhaeghe and Lance Woolaver. And 1949!

Here’s a link to the Theatre Northwest website: http://theatrenorthwest.com/current-plays/

I’ll keep you posted as I find out more details.

Last week, Mary and I were privileged to be invited to Windsor to see the University Players perform David’s adaptation of The Seagull. David was the Writer-in-Residence in the English Department at the University of Windsor in 2008-2009, and he loved it there. Right from the beginning, the Windsor-ites made him feel at home, and he was greatly impressed by the number of talented writers and actors that he met during his time in the city.

I was delighted to be invited to see The Seagull, but to be honest, I expected to see a high-quality, but typical, student production. As soon as the lights went down and the actors walked into the birch forest, I knew I’d been mistaken about that. I was completely blown away by the University Players show! It was an absolutely splendid production in every way. The ensemble of young people had taken Chekhov’s characters deep into their bones, and their performances shimmered. It was an astonishing night in the theatre, a superb interpretation of the work. The show was directed by J. Ed Araiza, a director, writer, and performer who is associated with New York City’s SITI Company. It starred twenty-five accomplished actors and four gifted musicians who wove a spell over the audience, and moved us to laughter and to tears.

Lionel Walsh, the head of the Drama Department, tells me that U Windsor has produced six David French plays over the years. At the party afterward, I talked to so many people who had been influenced by David’s work, and who had enjoyed getting to know him. The show itself was dedicated “to the memory of our dear friend David French.”

I’d like to thank everyone involved in the show for their beautiful work, and to thank all of David’s Windsor friends for everything they did for him. A particular thank you to Lionel for inviting Mary and me, and for taking such good care of us. The city holds a special place in our hearts, and the memory of The Seagull will remain with us always.

About a week ago I received a notice from David’s agent Charlie Northcote that Cawthra Park Secondary School in Mississauga will be performing Leaving Home during the last week in April. I wrote to teacher Stacey Tiller to ask if she’d mind sharing a few details with me to post here as the show progresses. She wrote me a beautiful email about what David’s work — and his personal interest — has meant to their school. I will quote some of it here:

“I was delighted to hear from you as your late husband’s work has played an important part of our theatre education here at Cawthra for many, many years. In fact, two years ago, David came in to our school to talk to our Grade 12 students about playwriting.  They were amazed and inspired.  In our grade 10 year we study all of the Mercer plays for our Canadian Theatre unit.  That collection of plays are my all time favourite plays and am thrilled to be able to direct Leaving Home.

Writing on the blog would be just fine!  And as soon as we get some production photos, I’ll send them on to you along with our poster.  If you need further information, please let me know. I’d be more than happy to oblige.

Thanks so much for your interest. My condolences on David’s passing.  While I didn’t know him personally, his work will always have a place in my heart and at our school.”

Thanks, Stacey.

David was often asked to do school visits, and sometimes it took up a whole day, as he always used public transportation. He usually came home energized and inspired by the students and their interest in his work. It’s great to know that students appreciated his making the effort to talk to them.

Break a leg to the cast and crew of Mariposa Arts Theatre’s Leaving Home, which opens tonight at the Orillia Opera House. Paul Blanche, who plays Harold in the show, sent me a copy of the beautiful poster he designed for the production:



Michael Clipperton, the director, wrote an article for the February 2012 issue of The Green Room that gives some insight into the cast’s rehearsal process. He’s kindly given me permission to quote from the piece here:

“In his first play, Leaving Home, which is based in part on his relationship with his father, the late playwright David French presents a story of troubled relationships, unspoken desires, and consequences of epic proportions.  He also gives us some earthy bawdiness, some classic Newfoundland humour, and an unbridled joie de vivre. Among the questions that he asks are: What is a family?  What does it mean to be a father? A mother? A son? A daughter? A husband? A wife? What does it mean to work all your life to support your family, and suddenly see that family break apart?  What does it mean to be so angry that you strike the person you love most? What does it mean to feel trapped in a situation that is beyond your control? Delving into the world of the Mercer family has revealed many things to me and to the cast and crew.  It has been a thought-provoking, laughter-filled journey…”

The show has eight performances, Feb. 9 to 12 and Feb. 16 to 19. Tickets are available from the Orillia Opera House box office, 705-326-8011 and online at www.orilliaoperahose.ca.

The National Arts Centre’s production of Salt-Water Moon has had uniformly wonderful reviews in the press. I posted links to several of them on David’s Facebook fan page at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/David-French-Playwright-1939-2010/110950725649498 (Please “Like” this page if you’re not already a fan.)

Yesterday Sean Fitzgerald posted some reviews by Ottawa high school students on the NAC blog. Some of the reviews are raves, some not so much! But because the characters of Jacob and Mary are teenagers in Salt-Water Moon, it’s interesting to hear what 21st century teens have to say about those two young people of 1926.

October 26^th, 2012 was the NAC’s student matinee of Salt-Water Moon.  In the audience that day was Nadine Dawson and her students from Gloucester High School. The next day Karen Gilodo, NAC English Theatre Education and Outreach Coordinator, visited their classroom for a discussion on writing play reviews. She was very impressed by the students’ observations of the show and asked if we could share some of them for the NAC Blog.

Here are some quotes from their play reviews.

“The play is easily a play that almost anyone could like, it is full of humour that is easily understandable and emotion that is expressed so well you feel as if what you are watching is a real situation.” – Jake.

“…Max-Otto Fauteux the set designer, created an almost whimsical looking porch, with different dimensions and levels which created more visual interest not just as a background but also with Mac and Gauthier-Frankel’s performance…Salt-Water Moon has been played across Canada and around the world since 1984 but I definitely believe that the NAC was able to put their own stamp on this classic Canadian play.”  – Emily

“Salt-Water Moon portrayed a profound sense of love and the beauty of it. Using technical elements to refine artistic interpretations and having been carefully directed by the elegant hands of Micheline Chevrier, the play has resulted into a spectacle. Using only two actors, David French conveyed all emotions one would feel during such circumstance. In conclusion the play is a worthwhile teaching of compassion, the importance of memories and the everlasting bind love can emit, and is without a doubt a worthwhile expenditure of time and money.” – Tanvir

“As far as my review of the play goes, Salt-Water Moon combined both humour and charm fairly well in under a two-hour time span and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is a fan of romantic comedy. This play targets both the issues of today and the issues of tomorrow very well in my opinion. Once again, I was engaged in the dilemmas of both Mary and Jacob and by the end of the play I had learned a lot about both Jacob and Mary’s relationship with one another. I was surprisingly satisfied.” – Taras.

“Overall, this was quite a fine production that I will rate eight stars as this heartwarming play appeals to all ages and its humour leaves you satisfied.” – Zaineb

“Jamie and Holly made a excellent performance considering they were the only two actors onstage. They managed to express their roles and make us laugh at the same time.” – Jonathan

“The October 26^th Salt-Water Moon play at the NAC was a special play for Gloucester High School to attend. The general public was accompanied by other high schools from Ottawa. What I would like to know is if the public enjoyed our company or not?”  – Jack

“The only exciting thing that happens in the play is when the characters argue. To summarize the play in simpler terms, Jacob and Mary argue for two hours and then they make up. The play ends very abruptly.” – David

“In this play Mary Snow was deeply hurt by Jacob’s abrupt departure, so Jacob tries to win her heart (impressing her)…Many things I liked about the play including the setting, the lighting, the sound, characters, direction, costumes.” – Amna

“…The performers did a great job. I respect them for the emotion they put into the performance. I don’t know how Newfoundland was in 1926 bit I think they nailed it. I give this a 3.5/5.” – Damien

“I won’t reveal much about the plot, but I will say that Salt-Water Moon truly is a romantic comedy, with Mary providing the romantic aspect and Jacob the comedic. The story is about young love, which almost all of us can relate to, and will leave some in tears from both the hilarity and the heart.” – Devan

“…Jacob leaves and it is a very sad moment in the play…or so I thought. Mary starts to cry and yell out “Jacob!!!” and me and a lot of my other classmates thought this was funny even though it was probably meant to be serious. That’s why I think this play is more directed toward an older age group 20+, unless you like dramatic/romantic plays that keep you on edge for the whole time. In total though, I liked the play and I would give it a 7/10.” – Nick

“I found the play rather entertaining. It only had two people in it, a man and woman. They were both terrific. The man had an air about him as if he were king of the land. The woman however acted as if she thought nothing of him for most of the play. At the end she makes him leave but then calls him back. I liked this about the play since if it ended with him leaving there would have been no point to the story considering the whole play was based on him trying to get her back.”  – Noah

“To me, the play had many similarities to The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare. What I would have suggested to the actors if I had the chance; I would have told them to be less outgoing. I thought their acting was rather melodramatic, so if they toned it down, it would’ve passed off as believable. However I was thoroughly impressed with the acting when Mary screamed out Jacob’s name in desperation.” – Roya.

[Karen Gilodo is Education and Outreach Coordinator for English Theatre at the National Arts Centre - Ed.]

Jitters is on at 8 PM tonight at the Belfry Theatre in Victoria. Here’s a photo from the show. Love the costumes!

Norman Browning, Kyle Jespersen, Ted Cole and Gerry Mackay (standing) in Jitters by David French / Photos by David Cooper

Jitters opens at the Belfry Theatre next week, with the first performance on Tuesday.

The production stars: Lindsey Angell, Norman Browning, Jason Clift, Ted Cole, Dean Paul Gibson, Kyle Jespersen, Gerry Mackay, Laurie Paton, and Hazel Venzon.  It’s directed by Patrick McDonald and stage managed by Kim Charleen Smith; the set is designed by Charlotte Dean, the costumes by Nancy Bryant, and the lighting by John Webber.

Jitters, which is loosely based on David’s experiences with the first production of Leaving Home, is one of the funniest shows ever written. I hope that cast and crew are having a lot of fun in rehearsal! Here’s a photo of Kyle Jesperson as Robert, the frantic playwright:

The National Arts Centre production of Salt-Water Moon has been getting some terrific reviews. I’m going to paste some links below:

Ottawa Citizen review by Patrick Langston

Apartment 613 review by Andrew Snowdon

The Charlebois Post review by Jim Murchison

The Visitorium online review. (Warning: Some salty language in this one!)

ARTchoo mini-review

Here are a few photos from Friday night’s opening at the National Arts Centre. These feature the opening of the “Writing Home: David French” exhibit that took place just prior to the opening of Salt-Water Moon.

Curators Michael Wallace of Theatre Museum Canada & Judi Pearl of the NAC with Glenda and Mary

Some of the exhibit's displays

 

Map of Canada highlighting SWM productions

The view from above

French family members

The photos from the celebration are by photographer Michel Dozois; the ones of the exhibit alone are by Yannick Beauvalet.