Open House 2007
EXPLORE MICHEL TREMBLAY’S UNIVERSE
At the NTS Open House on Saturday, September 29, from 11 am to 5 pm
Montreal. September 17, 2007 –On the occasion of the eleventh edition of the province-wide Journées de la culture, The National Theatre School (NTS) will be raising the curtain on the universe of Michel Tremblay on Saturday, September 29.
Located in the heart of Montreal’s Plateau Mont-Royal, only a few street corners away from where most of the characters of his plays and novels originate, the School invites the public to rediscover the fabulous and theatrical world of Quebec’s most famous playwright in a most unique and original way. Michel Tremblay himself will be on hand throughout the day to participate in the many surprises the NTS has prepared for him and to meet visitors.
Special invited guests
In a North American premiere, Michel Tremblay will read an excerpt from his upcoming novel, La Traversée du continent (in stores October 30th);
The Ballet Flamenco Arte de España will present excerpts of a flamenco show inspired by Les Belles-Sœurs, entitled Azafràn Or Rouge, in which Germaine Lauzon’s famous stamps will be replaced by saffron flowers;
The Théâtre de Quat’Sous will present a photo exhibit featuring pictures taken from many of Tremblay’s productions created between 1969 and 2005 (from En pièces détachées to Impératif Présent, and from Hosanna to À toi, pour toujours, ta Marie-Lou);
The documentary In the Hands of Michel Tremblay, which demonstrates the universality of the artist’s work as well as follows his artistic career and professional life, will be screened;
And maquettes and sketches of the sets and costumes of recent Tremblay productions will be exhibited, as well as new wigs created by professional wigmaker Rachel Tremblay, presenting the looks of some of the playwright’s mythic characters.
The School united around the work of Tremblay
Many other original activities, all under the same theme and drawing their inspiration from the work of Tremblay, will also be presented. For example, Acting students will do a multi-lingual reading (in 15 languages!) of the play Les Belles Soeurs. And our Playwriting students will be serving up some fast food style plays for the public, their patrons choosing from a special “Tremblay to go” menu. Also, hear NTS students sing songs taken from his musical Demain matin, Montréal m’attend. In short, all of Tremblay’s work, in all of its scope and its beauty, will be celebrated!
Discover the National Theatre School
As the School only opens its doors to the public one time a year, there will also be several activities that will inform the public of its true nature: a theatre arts learning centre… Come and check out combat and clown classes, costume construction and lighting and sound design. There will be something for everyone.
It is with open arms that the School’s students, professors and staff await you in order to demystify the mission of an institution that has to date formed close to 1,500 actors, set and costume designers, authors and playwrights, directors and other theatre artists who have played an integral role in the development of theatre in Canada.
The National Theatre School is located at 5030 Saint-Denis in Montréal (Laurier Metro).
OPEN HOUSE on Saturday, September 29, 2007
from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Free!