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Featuring: Stefanie Nakamura and Brefny Caribou

The Nisei & 
The Narnauks
February 5-22, 2015

Written and directed by Paul Van Dyck
Costume Design by Melanie Michaud
Set and Lighting Design by Peter Vatsis
Puppet and Mask Design by Zach Fraser

MONTREAL, ARTS INTERCULTURELS
3680 Rue Jeanne-Mance, 
Montreal, QC H2X 2K5


BOX OFFICE 
Tuesday to Saturday from 3 pm to 6 pm 
and 1 hour before each show
Phone: (514) 982-3386
About Spring Awakening
"a unique and wonderful experience, not to be missed." - Roverarts.com

IN THE MEDIA

Puppets make light of Cada’s dirty little secrets
Posted by: Laurent Pitre

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Paul van Dyck’s latest offering tackles the reality of Japanese internment camps

The Nisei & The Narnauks  is an outlandish play set in a historical Canadian context. In the guise of an Alice in Wonderland-like coming-of-age adventure story, this play examines the distressing treatment of Japanese Canadians during World War II and juxtaposes it with the overall treatment of First Nations people.

Rising playwright and director Paul Van Dyck states that the idea for the play came during his exploration of Canada’s “real” history.

“In school I was taught that Canada was a ‘melting pot,’ a happy multicultural utopia. I was lied to. When I later learned about the internment of Japanese Canadians, the treatment of First Nations, and the ever present racism in my own community, I was perplexed and angered. I wondered how this could happen in my own country. But mostly I was afraid at how easily these events could be swept under the rug, for when our mistakes are forgotten, that’s when they’re repeated,” he said.

However, this play is a guaranteed pleasure for all ages and all walks of life. Life-like puppets (sometimes giant-sized), live music, lively actors and a magical storytelling experience will captivate you, move you and transport you to a fantastical land where a young girl makes sense of her world.

The Nisei & The Narnauks uses captivating visuals to illustrate difficult themes.

“I believe this will be an important play. I think it will educate a lot of people, and it will do so in a delightfully subversive way. It will take them on a journey of magic, and beauty, and adventure. And at the end of it all hopefully they won’t want to put their heads back in the sand. They may even want to know more and demand more of the country we live in,” he continued.

And at the very least, Van Dyck says that if you’re not learning anything, you will still be very entertained!

Persephone, once again, has given opportunities to emerging artists. The play features four young, energetic and vibrant actors playing multiple parts through mask and puppets, while also providing all the live sound effects and music. Dawson College alumna Stefanie Nakamura plays young Kimiko. From John Abbott, Michael Briganti takes on the role of Kimiko’s side kick, Raven. Concordia University gives us the final two actors in Jimmy Blais and Brefny Caribou.

Blais tackles the physicality, the voice and the focused performance of a     myriad of characters, ranging from princes to wolves. He said that the experience is an “opportunity to tie down to his native roots,” and that the puppets form a bridge that allow the audience to enter the story, while the engaging use of live music helps to tell “a multi-layered show,” allowing this mythical story to be “carried along.”

On the production side, Peter Vatsis provides designs for both set and lighting, while Melanie Michaud takes on costume design. Persephone welcomes the chance to work with puppet and mask maker Zach Fraser. Assisting Van Dyck with direction is Sara Rodriguez, all under the helm of stage manager, Isabel Quintero Faia.
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PERSEPHONE PRODUCTIONS’ SPRING AWAKENING
October 5, 2014 by bloodyunderrated

Remounting their acclaimed rendition of Spring Awakening as part of Centaur Theatre’s Brave New Looks program, Persephone Productions brings to life an energetic and touching coming-of-age musical. An impressive cast of no less than fourteen fantastic performers poured their hearts out onstage at yesterday’s matinee, to the delight of the audience. A timeless story of young, forbidden love and sexual revelation,Spring Awakening highlights a rich cast of characters, led by naive Wendla (Gab Lubin) and wordly Melchior (Zachary Creatchman). Dane Stewart as the tortured Moritz tugged relentlessly at my heartstrings, Adam Capriolo’s dry portrayal of Hanschen was absolutely hysterical, and Alex Goldrich and Alexandra Ghezzi are stellar in a plethora of adult characters, their teacher/parent/priest characters offering a perfect counterpart to the bright-eyed youngsters who comprise the rest of the cast.

If you’re a fan of musicals, this production will blow you away. Alexia Gourd’s choreography, while a little cheesy at times, is imaginative and impeccably executed. All the performers demonstrate impressive vocal prowess; along with the incredibly skilled eight-piece band, led by musical director David Terriault, Persephone does justice to Duncan Sheik’s killer soundtrack. You’ll be pleased to have these songs running through your head long after you’ve left the theatre.