The Flood Thereafter is a twisted fairytale set in a tidal pool of a fishing village on the Lower St-Laurence. It tells the story of June, daughter of Grace who owns the local restaurant and cursed the small community driving away the women.
Kent Stetson (CM) : "What's the syndrome where people faint in front of great paintings? You knocked me completely off-kilter. Again. Beautiful direction... note/tone/colour perfect. Great lighting. And fabulous seaweed!"— Kent Stetson, 2010‑10‑20.
Text / Texte : Sarah Berthiaume;
Translator / Traduction : Nadine Desrochers;
Director / Mise en scène : Emma Tibaldo.
The Flood Thereafter is a twisted fairytale set in a tidal pool of a fishing village on the Lower St-Laurence. It tells the story of June, daughter of Grace who owns the local restaurant and cursed the small community driving away the women.
Homer : Stephane Blanchette;
Grace : Catherine Colvey;
Denis : Chimwemwe Miller;
George : Bill Rowat;
June : Amelia Sargisson;
Penelope : Felicia Shulman.
Set / Décor : Lyne Paquette;
Costumes / Costume : Fruzsina Lanyi;
Lighting / Éclairage : David Perreault Ninacs;
Sound / Son : Michael Leon;
Movement / Mouvement : Rasili Botz.
This translation is commissioned and developed by Playwrights' Workshop Montreal's Cole Foundation Emerging Translator program.
Maurice Podbrey : "The whole production was delightful--a thoroughly enchanting evening. The playwright has achieved something rarely seen in the English language theate--a story told in magical terms and brilliantly excecuted by the director and designers and the performers. My sincere thanks to all." — Maurice Podbrey, 2010‑10‑20. More / Plus...
The Suburban : "Few fairy tales are inspired by small town strip clubs but when playwright Sarah Berthiaume was on a recent road trip, this is exactly what happened. ...Despite being a fantasy on the surface, Tibaldo says the aim of the play is to deal with real world issues. '[I'm trying to] begin a conversation about what stripping means to women, to the world, to men and how we deal with it,' she says." — Walter J. Lyng, 2010‑10‑20. More / Plus...
Orcasound : "The set, designed by Lyne Paquette was extremely interesting visually. On its own, it looks like the broken hull of a shipwreck, with the different pieces representing different locations in town. The floor was scattered with kelp-like 'wigs' that Homer's wife, Penelope (Felicia Shulman) was often working on in the background, and that June would pose with when she stripped."— Thea, 2010‑10‑20. More / Plus...
The Concordian : "Production company Talisman Theatre specializes in bringing Québécois theatre to the anglophone stage. The show is more risqué than most English productions, and definitely not for those shocked by nudity, both male and female. However, the nudity is never gratuitous and unnecessary; it emphasizes the themes of the mystical show, which is well worth a look."— Val Cardinal, 2010‑10‑19. More / Plus...
Blog : "I came away from The Flood Thereafter moved and touched by this fable by Sarah Berthiaume, magnificently translated by Nadine Desrochers, who had the intelligence to leave some French here and there in the most touching moments. I saw three superb actresses: Amélia Sargisson, Catherine Colvey (magical) and Felicia Shulman. The male actors also performed well."— Bernard Wheeley, 2010‑10‑20. More / Plus...
Kent Stetson (CM) : "What's the syndrome where people faint in front of great paintings? You knocked me completely off-kilter. Again. Beautiful direction... note/tone/colour perfect. Great lighting. And fabulous seaweed. Loved the human/bird/fish/ship-rib set."— Kent Stetson (Kent received the 2001 Governor General's Literary Award for The Harps of God and was appointed to the Order Of Canada in July 2007.), 2010‑10‑20. More / Plus...
Midnight Poutine : "It may take a long time for this story to feel like a fairy tale, but once the magic kicks in you'll be held in a mermaid's snares until the end."— Amie, 2010‑10‑20. More / Plus...
The Hour : "Post-modern and poetic, Sarah Berthiaume has weaved an oddly compelling and maddening scenario that is as murky and bold as the wildest fisherman's tale. Much of the play's intent is revealed between the lines and the ta-da moment, when everything suddenly made sense, didn't hit me until hours after."— MJ Stone, 2010‑10‑16. More / Plus...
CTV : "The Flood Thereafter adds class to small-town strip bars when it equates the dancers with mermaids and how both know how to entrance a man."— Christine Long, 2010‑10‑20. More / Plus...
Le Quatrième : "With The Flood Thereafter, Sarah Berthiaume explores the mythology of feminine identity, in an iconoclastic tragicomedy that's both metaphorical and poetic, and very much of today."— Yves Rousseau, 2010‑10‑17. More / Plus...
Montreal Theatre Guide : "[It] is way out there as a modern-day fairytale, delightfully so, opting out of the usual cookie-cutter good versus evil ideology typical of the folktale genre."— Evelyn Reid, 2010‑10‑16. More / Plus...
The Gazette : "This reviewer is not a fan of staged poetry, with exceptions made for the likes of William Shakespeare, Dylan Thomas and Carson McCullers. Few writers can write a good play and good poetry at the same time. Berthiaume, a recent theatre school graduate, has certainly made a game try. She has a flair for imagery and lyricism."— Pat Donnelly, 2010‑10‑21. More / Plus...
The Gazette (preview) : "Talisman Theatre was born to build bridges. Its mandate is to introduce new French-language Quebec plays to anglophone audiences via translation. [...The Flood Thereafter] tells a tale inspired by the sad and sordid reality of women who work in Quebec's numerous small-town strip bars. [...] The Flood Thereafter, however, doesn't deal in strip-bar realism. [...] In The Flood Thereafter, June, the exotic dancer who makes men weep, is part mermaid."— Pat Donnelly, 2010‑10‑15. More / Plus...
Rover Arts : "The play is reminiscent of a Shakespearian romance--those strange plays that exist somewhere between comedy and tragedy--and so it is appropriate that the text seesaws between heightened poetic language and rougher, more colloquial prose."— Alex Woolcott, 2010‑10‑16. More / Plus...
