Page Text: May 28 – June 19 2022, Mainspace Theatre
#ftWildfire
From the play Le Brasier by David Paquet
Directed by Soheil Parsa
A Factory Toronto Premiere
That’s what family is all about: saying yes even if you don’t feel like it
Claudette, Claudia, Claudine, Carol, Callum, and Caroline all have two things in common: names that start with the letter C and they’re all haunted by a family history of childhood trauma. They do what they can to survive. Sometimes by baking cookies, sometimes by playing fantasy games, and sometimes by smashing a hammer into a TV.
Wildfire is a dark comedy with a spark— highly absurd and ferociously funny, Paquet’s seemingly ordinary characters remind us that sometimes it’s the people we look right past who experience the most extraordinary fates.
COVID-19 SAFETY AT FACTORY
Wildfire is being sold at a reduced capacity to allow for social distancing, and Factory continues to require proof of vaccination and mask wearing for all audiences, artists, and staff. Full and up-to-date details on Factory’s COVID-19 safety protocols can be found at factorytheatre.ca/covid .
At Factory, we believe theatre should be accessible to all who want to participate. That is why we’ve introduced a sliding scale ticket model with a $0 option. Tickets prices for Wildfire range from $10 – $60, and include a limited number of $0 tickets for every performance. Audiences are invited to select the ticket price option that works best for them to experience theatre at Factory.
In order for patrons to be given an equal opportunity to access Factory productions at the $0 price point, a maximum of 3 tickets can be booked per patron, per performance.
If you have questions about our tickets, please visit our FAQ page or contact our Box Office at boxoffice@factorytheatre.ca.
About the Translator
Leanna Brodie
Leanna Brodie’s plays and libretti have been performed from Halifax to Vancouver, London to Auckland. The Vic, For Home and Country, The Book of Esther, and Schoolhouse are published by Talonbooks. She is also a noted translator of Québécois playwrights: recent productions include Hélène Ducharme’s Dora-winning Baobab; David Paquet’s 2019 Jessie Award-winning The Shoe (The Cherry Artspace, Ithaca NY) and Wildfire (Upstream Theater, St. Louis MO); Annie Broccoli’s Stella and the Time Machine Journey (Lune Rouge, Arlington TX); Joe Jack et John’s Violette (Espace Libre, Montréal QC); Mohsen El Gharbi’s Omi Mouna (Impact Festival Kitchener-Waterloo ON/ ON//Infinithéâtre, Montréal QC); and Rébecca Déraspe’s I Am William (Stratford Festival, ON). Three of her translations have been nominated for Tom Hendry Awards. Brodie is current co-writing Salesman in China with Jovanni Sy (a co-commission from the Stratford Festival/Banff Centre for the Arts). Upcoming productions and publications include works by Fanny Britt, Rébecca Déraspe, Sébastien Harrisson, Angela Konrad, Catherine Léger, David Paquet, Anaïs Pellin, Philippe Soldevila, and Olivier Sylvestre. She is currently an MFA candidate at the University of Calgary and spent eight wonderful years in Vancouver… but she is thrilled to return to her hometown, especially with these artists and this play. www.leannabrodie.com
About the Playwright
David Paquet
A 2006 alumni from the National Theatre School of Canada in playwriting, David Paquet’s plays know no boundaries. His first play, Porc-épic [2009], was staged in many countries and gave him the reward of being named recipient of the Governor General of Canada’s Literary Award in 2010. His second play, 2h14 [2010], was staged in France, Mexico, Quebec and Germany, where the play was adapted for the radio. 2h14 was awarded best play for a young audience by the Quebec Association of Theatre Critics, the Sony Labou Tansi prize in France and was adapted to the screen in a webseries broadcasted on TV5 Monde. He is also the author of Le Brasier [2012] and Appels Entrants Illimités [2013]. In 2015, David was invited for a two-year residency as the in-house playwright of Montreal’s Centre du Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui where he will stage himself in Papiers Machés, a literary and poetic cabaret. Aside from being a prolific playwright, David Paquet has also undertaken translating, rendering the French version of Hannah Moscovitch’s In this world for Youtheater Company, presently on tour throughout Canada.
About the Director
Soheil Parsa
Soheil Parsa is the co-founder and former artistic director of Modern Times Stage Company and has directed over forty productions for the company since its inception in 1989. His work has been recognized with numerous awards and nominations. In 2021, Soheil received the Barbara Hamilton Memorial Award and the Canadian Association for Theatre Research Honorary Member Award for his unique contribution to Canadian theatre in the past thirty-two years. Soheil is absolutely delighted to be making his Factory Theatre debut with David Paquet’s play.
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