The Medea Effect : Day 02

By Marc Taro Holmes in Montreal, QC, CA

I’ve been back for my second day in rehearsal with James Loye and Jennifer Morehouse at the Talisman Theatre production of The Medea Effect, (Get Tickets Here)

After my first day of pencil sketches, I was excited to return and do watercolors on location. It so happened, this day they were going over some of the same material – the first quarter of the story – in which the characters spar. Ada, the aging actress pressing her case with Hugo the young genius director.

Good, in that, I was able to carry on right where I left off. But, on the other hand, I’m still in suspense how the story ends!

At the start of each day the actors do an exercise where they interfere with each others personal space. Pushing back and forth with their presence, moving about a tight circle without colliding. Initially the overbearing director looms over the pleading actress. It almost looks like psychic pushing hands Tai Chi. They are exploring physical stances, becoming comfortable projecting a shifting balance of power between them.

“Yes, I’m proud of each of my wrinkles. I know why they are there, I could catalog them, say which one appeared first and why, I could trace the path of my wrinkles, name each tragedy”…

Talisman Theatre has it’s own interesting story. Very much a reflection of Montreal.

From their own site “Talisman has a vibrant, living mission: to produce English-language premières of Québécois plays for Montreal’s public and students”. I think that’s a fascinating response to the perception of Two Solitudes in Quebec culture. They continue: “…we retain the essence of traditional Quebecois theatrical practice as part of our hybrid development process; and we have developed a talented bi-lingual team with its own distinctive artistic approach.”

My answer, whenever asked about my own progress with the French language, is that drawing is so consuming, I couldn’t possibly study another language at the same time.

So I have no qualifications whatsoever to say – but to my ear, the translation by Nadine Desrochers from Suzie Bastien’s original, sounds authentic. There are word choices that seem pitch perfect.

“They are an obstacle to her fall. And her fall must be perfect. Let me try. Let me say those words. Please listen to me”.

“SLAUGHTERS. SLAUGHTERS. SLAUGHTERS. Her children. The FLESH of her FLESH”.

Directed by Emma Tibaldo (a older piece on her here), The Medea Effect is on stage February 3 to 7, 2015 at the Segal Centre Studio. (Get Tickets Here)