David French

Last night Mary and I, French family members, and many friends were in Ottawa at the opening of Salt-Water Moon and the “Writing Home: David French” exhibit at the National Arts Centre. It’s a wonderful show, and the exhibit is so beautifully put together! Some tears were shed, and some laughs shared by those of us who knew David; it was an altogether magical night. I’d like to thank the NAC — in particular Peter Hinton, Peter Herrndorf, Nancy Webster, Micheline Chevrier, and cast and crew of the show. I’d also like to thank the amazing Judi Pearl of the NAC, and her colleague Gerry Grace. And of course many thanks to Theatre Museum Canada, Michael Wallace in particular.

I said a few words on behalf of the family at the vernissage, and I think I’ll just share part of that speech here:

I’ve been thinking a lot about David’s work this past year, and I’ve been realizing how much of it has to do with memory. That iconic monologue from the beginning of Of The Fields, Lately, for example — the memory of a baseball game that epitomizes the son’s whole relationship with his father.

The way memories — and the device of remembering – permeate That Summer, one of David’s last plays.  The memories of war that haunt Esau in Soldier’s Heart, and the collective memory of country that flows through the blood of the young lovers in Salt-Water Moon.

In the theatre, the most ephemeral of arts, the latest hit often seems to eclipse the work that came before. I know that David, particularly in the years before Soulpepper Theatre revived the Mercer plays, wondered about how – and if – his work would be remembered. This exhibit — this recognition, this remembrance of the impact his work has had and continues to have — would have meant a very great deal to him. As it means a great deal to us.

I’ll let David have the last word. Near the end of his play That Summer, the Narrator says, “Henry James thought the two most beautiful words in the English language were ‘summer afternoon.’ For me, the most beautiful have always been ‘I remember.’”

The Ottawa Citizen interviewed the cast of Salt-Water Moon in advance of the show’s opening this Friday night.  Read the article by clicking on this link!

Jamie Mac and Holly Gauthier-Frankel, cast of NAC production of Salt-Water Moon.

Jitters at the Ottawa Serbian Theatre

On Sunday October 16, for one night only, Jitters is playing in Serbian translation at the Ottawa Serbian Theatre! Above is the beautifully hilarious poster. David’s work continues to resonate in many languages, and around the world.

Break a leg to the cast and crew of Jitters at the Belleville Theatre Guild!  Jitters opens tonight, kicking off the BTG’s 60th anniversary season.

Each of the shows in the season is an encore presentation. I quote from the BTG website: “For the 2011-2012 season, we have chosen five plays which we believe reflect the variety and excellence of the theatrical experiences from our history.” The other classic plays in the season include Anne of Green Gables, Wait Until Dark, Little Women, and Play It Again, Sam.

Jitters was first performed by BTG in 1982. I send them all the best, and hope to get to see the show. If you’re in the Belleville area, go see it! Details available on their website at: http://www.bellevilletheatreguild.ca/info.htm#playlist

It’s Culture Days weekend — and that means that the joint National Arts Centre and Theatre Museum Canada exhibit about David’s career is live online!

Here’s the link: http://www.artsalive.ca/en/eth/playwright/david-french/

If you’re not able to come to Ottawa to see the installed exhibit, this online version is the next best thing. Mary and I are very proud and happy to see David’s work honoured so beautifully. Many thanks to Judi Pearl and Gerry Grace and colleagues at the NAC, and to Michael Wallace of TMC.

“Writing Home,” the exhibit about David’s career that’s been curated by the National Arts Centre and Theatre Museum Canada, will be part of Culture Days (September 30 – October 2, 2011). This means that the exhibit will be open to the public –and will be available for online viewing — on Friday! The exhibit will run until November 6.

Here’s a link to the NAC page about the exhibit. I’ll post the link to the online show as soon as it goes up.

David used to remind people that the word “amateur” means “lover of”. I’m sure that had something to do with the fact that right from the beginning of his playwriting career, amateur theatres embraced David’s work.  And he loved community theatres right back. He always liked to receive posters and programs from their productions, and he went to see as many shows as he could.

Several years ago we went to Niagara Falls to see a showing of That Summer. It was a lovely production, with teen actors playing the main roles, which lent it a real innocence and freshness. Our drive down had been sunny — but when we walked outside at intermission there were huge snowflakes swirling all around us. We scrapped our plans to drive back that night and stayed for the cast party instead; I’ve rarely had a better night at the theatre.

Right now, several amateur productions of David’s plays are in the works. The next one up is the Burl-Oak Theatre Group’s Salt-Water Moon, which opens on October 6th and runs until October 15th. Their beautiful blue poster image is posted above. You can click here to find out all the details about the production and to purchase tickets.

I’ve had a great time exchanging emails with Micki Clemens of the Burl-Oak group about the show. Actors Emilie Jefferies and Tom Haxell are starring. (And we are all wondering whether Tom, at 6′ 4″, might be the tallest Jacob on record!) Director Peter Kunder is a long-time fan of David’s work. Here’s a quote from Peter:

“In the mid-1980s David French wrote Salt-Water Moon, a poetic drama about the courtship of Mary Snow and Jacob Mercer set in Newfoundland in 1926.  Mary and Jacob first appeared in Leaving Home, French’s first play.  It was a huge hit, saved Tarragon Theatre from closing, and went on to become one of the most-produced plays in Canadian theatre history. It was also the play that first made me understand that there truly is such a thing as “Canadian Theatre”. I was so moved by Leaving Home that I taught it and Salt-Water Moon, to high school students for more than twenty-five years.”

I wish BOTG a big “Break A Leg,” and I hope to get to see the show.

Poster for Salt-Water Moon in Bay Roberts

I spent most of the summer without an internet connection for my computer.  Very restful!  However, because of that, I missed mentioning two amazing Newfoundland productions of Salt-Water Moon: Rising Tide Theatre’s outdoor production of Salt-Water Moon in Trinity Bay, and the SWM production in Bay Roberts, near David’s home town of Coley’s Point.

Rising Tide Theatre has mounted an outdoor production of Salt-Water Moon in Trinity Bay for the past SIXTEEN summers!  I’ve never been lucky enough to see it, but people who have say it’s a magical experience.  You can find out more about Rising Tide by clicking here.

The Victoria LOL #3 Museum and Playhouse in Bay Roberts has a permanent exhibit about David’s career, and it’s been doing annual productions of his work for the past few years.  This year Salt-Water Moon was remounted due to popular demand.  Click here for information about the Museum and Playhouse.

I hope both theatres had a wonderful time with the show.  If anyone has any Salt-Water Moon stories to share, feel free to send them in.  Playing the roles of Jacob and Mary in this show has been described as “a necessary rite of passage for young Canadian actors.”

The University of Windsor Players will be presenting David’s translation of Chekhov’s The Seagull March 1 -4 and March 7 – 11, 2012.

University of Windsor was of course where David spent a happy year as Writer-in-Residence.  He used to take the train early on Monday mornings and return late on Tuesday nights.  While in Windsor he spoke to dozens of students and community members about their writing projects, and had fun getting to know the faculty — especially Karl Jirgens of the English Department and Lionel Walsh (a fellow Newfoundlander) from the Drama Department.  David also enjoyed teasing Alastair MacLeod, who had the office next door.

Click here to connect to the University Players Page for further information.  Here’s their beautiful poster for the show:

University of Windsor Players present David's translation of The Seagull

A poster for the upcoming production of JITTERS in Hong Kong

Charlie, David’s agent, emailed me this wonderful poster this week.  A translation of Jitters is being mounted in Hong Kong!  Ben Fung, who is producing, also plays George.  He says that Hong Kong’s most famous actor, nicknamed “King Sir,” is playing Patrick.  Ben also sent a photo of the cast, below:

The cast of JITTERS. Ben Fung and King Sir are in the middle of the photo.