ORIGINAL DESIGNERS :More...
Set and Costume Design : Odile Gamache;
Lighting Design : Cédric Delorme Bouchard;
Sound Design : Mykalle Bielinski.
The Talisman-commissioned translation of Wildfire was developed in collaboration with Playwrights' Workshop Montréal.
SYNOPSIS : Opening with a curse from a strange baby, featuring a cast of socially offbeat characters, a caged child, a murderous pet tarantula and a dead cat, Wildfire is a tragicomedy as fiercely dark as any from classical Greece. Structured as a multi-generational triptych, it tells the story of six characters trying to escape a toxic family heritage. In this magnificently constructed spiral of fatality, Paquet attacks our failing collective consciousness and the ensuing general apathy.
REVIEWS:
montreal rampage : "The performances by the actors is... outstanding. [...] Wildfire is devilish and delightful. ... The result is satisfying and the production is a great success." --Rachel Levine, 2023-01-17.
Sur les pas du spectateur : "'Consumed' (!) and very satisfied by Wildfire. [...] The text is rich, the exchanges lively and, even if it is in English, I am very, very attentive and often laugh too!" --Robert St-Amour, 2023-01-17.
atavu.ca : Wildfire "is brilliantly interpreted by Julie Tamiko Manning, Kathleen Stavert and Davide Chiazzese. Hats off to the artists!" --Jérôme Bouclet, 2023-01-18.
forgetthebox.net : Wildfire : "A Perfect Tension ... Lots of folks aim for this vibe, but this strikes the chord. ... I don’t often go to plays, but when I do, I want them to be this good." --Dawn McSweeney, 2023-01-19.
westmountmag.ca : "I would go to see anything one of these actors is in, and here are all three in one play! Besides, where else can you see a play that includes a 'murderous pet tarantula'?" --Byron Toben, 2023-01-19.
CJAD iHeartRADIO : "Wildfire is a biting, witty surreal romp, with a spare but gorgeous staging, and delicious acting." --Sarah Deshaies, 2023-01-20.
theatrefunhouse : "The Wildfire of the title becomes volcanic in Stavert's devastating delivery of this climactic tale of lust and horror... Well worth catching."--Jim Burke, 2023-01-23
mcgilltribune.com : "Wildfire is a blazing success... sardonic humour and twisting, cyclical storyline will offer audience members on both sides of the aisle plenty to talk about."--Dana Prather, 2023-01-24
Instagram : "Wildfire was sublime! Such an incredible and inspiring piece. The text is layered, complex, innovative and human and the performances are so unique, rich, full and stunning." --erinjlindsay, 2023-01-16.
Facebook : "Wonderfully, powerful and playful performance. Make sure you go!!!" --Lisa Marcovici, 2023-01-20.
Facebook : "This is such an amazing play and the bunch of anglophone actors bringing it to life are great thespians. I'm so happy for you guys!" --ZoneCulture, 2023-01-23.
Facebook : "I saw WILDFIRE tonight. A gem! Congratulations, Kathleen Stavert, Julie Tamiko Manning, Davide Chiazzese." --Rosina Bucci, 2023-01-24.
"WILDFIRE was truly one of the more thrilling pieces of theatre I've seen this side of the Anglo theatre in a long time (maybe ever?)" --Chelsea Dab Hilke, director, dramaturg, producer, 2023-01-24.
In celebration, the Talisman Board invites you to our annual fundraiser, FEMALE POWER, a cocktail dînatoire honoring the themes of our most recent production Night from the 4th to 5th.
Save the date!
Tuesday, October 25 from 6 pm—9 pm
at Bar Paul Seurot of Union Francaise, 429 Viger Street East, Montreal.
SYNOPSIS :Night from the 4th to 5th tells of a sexual assault and the young woman who fought back. But her memory is playing tricks on her. She tries to remember what happened and the face of her attacker, but she’s plagued with memory lapses and fleeting images.
It is the story of a woman who speaks rather than remains silent; who acts rather than remains paralyzed. It follows the woman’s journey, from the moment she is attacked, through developing resilience, to regaining freedom. An ensemble of characters--relatives, friends, witnesses, police, social workers, journalists and 'concerned' citizens--express their wildly differing views as they reconstruct the event.
LE CULTUREL 2.0 "It's a great success. I have nothing but congratulations... Another thing I really liked is that it doesn't look slick like a video that is professionally edited."--Winston McQuade, 10 May 2022. More / Plus...
JEU Revue de Théâtre : "The subtleties of black and white, magnified by remarkably precise lighting, give the performers a striking presence, more real than life. The text thus finds all its power and engages our intellect."--Alain-Martin Richard, 19 May 2022. More / Plus...
Inés is a theatre director and cofounder of the theatre company Mundanal Ruido Teatro. For more than ten years, she has combined both artistic creation and education. She holds a degree in Theatre Direction from the Spain’s Royal School of Dramatic Art, a Master degree in Translation and a Certificate in Pedagogy. Currently, she is a teacher in the Master of Studies of Theatre at the International University of La Rioja. Her artistic production has been presented in Spain, Portugal and Dominican Republic. Currently, she is part of Talisman Theatre within the DémART program of the Conseil des arts de Montréal.
Masha Bashmakova
Masha Mariia Bashmakova, Intern
Masha Bashmakova is a Montreal-based theatre artist from Russia and the UAE, navigating the ways in which creative expression serves as a deep and necessary language in expressing interpersonal and social-political challenges, conflicts and empathies. Her current practice spans visual and performing arts, with a specific focus in performance, theatre directing and interdisciplinary creation. In the last few years, Masha graduated from Concordia University’s Performance Creation program and has been performing with RANT Theatre, a participatory social-intervention performance form, as well as working on other process-led works.
Chris Dilworth
Chris Dilworth, Administrator
Chris served as Talisman's first President of the Board of Directors, recruiting Board members and establishing policies. He serves as a grant-writer, event organizer, and fundraiser--conducting prospect research and developing Talisman's case for support. Chris also serves as Talisman's digital communications consultant, establishing its web and social media presence. He implemented Talisman's CRM (Contact Relationship Management) system to manage communications in compliance with Canada’s Anti-Spam Law (CASL).
Iria Donoro
Iria Donoro, Coordinator, Marketing and Communication
Graduated in Business Administration specializing in marketing. Iria has experience in market research, strategic planning, marketing campaigns and event organization in Spain. She is enthusiastic, a hardworking person, with the initiative to solve problems efficiently and always with a positive attitude to face new challenges, this time being a part of Talisman Theatre.
BOARD
Christine Lord
Christine Lord, President
Christine has been a member of the Talisman Theater Board of Directors since 2011. She holds a Master's degree in Business Administration and has extensive experience in information technology, having held various executive positions in the engineering, procurement and construction sectors.
Maria Eliades
Maria Eliades, Vice President
Maria is the North American IT Regional Director for a major Engineering and Construction firm. She has worked in the IT field for more than 20 years and has held various management positions both locally and internationally. She is ITIL expert certified with extensive experience in the Information technologies construction and engineering fields.
Julie Gaboriault
Julie Gaboriault, Treasurer
A graduate of HEC Montreal and a member of the Order of CPA, Julie acts as an auditor for various organizations in Quebec's arts and literature landscape. This specialization and her extensive and deep knowledge of accounting have given her a great understanding of the financial and governance issues specific to this sector.
Shayne Lovsin
Shayne Lovsin, Secretary
Shayne is a theatre and marketing professional working in Montreal and Toronto. He is a graduate of John Abbott College's Professional Theatre program and the John Molson School of Business. Previously a guest lecturer at the National Theatre School and Director of Operations at Teesri Duniya Theatre, Shayne is now Operations Manager at Wirth-Brand and is thrilled to be joining Talisman Theatre's board of directors.
Paul Chambers
Paul Chambers, Director
Paul Chambers is a Montréal-based lighting designer, visual artist, educator and co-artistic director of CHA collective & holds a BFA (Sculpture Major) from Concordia University and a DEP in Design for the Theatre from John Abbott College. Working with artists across different disciplines, collaborating on new dance works has always been a priority for him. In addition to leading workshops and lectures on design, Paul teaches at Concordia University in the Contemporary Dance department since 2015, and coaches design students at The National Theatre School of Canada since 2018. Recent design credits include work with Lara Kramer Dance, Amanda Acorn, Dorian Nuskind-Oder, Catherine Lavoie-Marcus, Priscilla Guy, Maria Kefirova, Katie Ward, PME-ART, Danse CarpeDiem, MAYDAY, Parts+Labour_Danse, Destins Croisés, Benjamin Kamino, Montreal Complêtement Cirque & Public Recordings.
Gérald Gauthier
Gérald Gauthier, Director
Holder of a law degree and a Master of Business Administration, Gérald Gauthier has extensive experience in public and corporate affairs, including regulatory affairs, mainly in the rail transportation sector. He worked in a private law firm specialized in civil and commercial law, before joining Canadian Pacific Railway, and later, the Railway Association of Canada, where he held several executive positions, including the presidency.
Lyne Paquette
Lyne Paquette, ex officio: Artistic & Executive Director
Lyne is a founder (with Emma Tibaldo) of Talisman Theatre. A graduate of the National Theatre School (2005), set design is Lyne's second career. Prior to this, she had worked as a professional engineer (McGill, 1987). Beginning as an Assistant Designer at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, and as an intern at Michael Curry Designs, Lyne has since designed for many theatre, dance, puppet, and opera productions in Montreal. She has designed sets and costumes for Talisman productions since 2005.
SUPPORT US
Lyne Paquette
Hi, We need your help!
I'm the Artistic Director of Talisman Theatre and I'm asking you to support us by making a donation because I believe in Talisman's unique mission to produce English-language premieres of contemporary Quebec plays, and because I believe you feel the same.
There are three ways you can help us support our actors, designers, technicians and supply them with the materials they need: by donating towards our operating funds; by donating towards our in-perpetuity endowment fund; or by arranging a corporate sponsorship.
If you choose to donate to our operating funds, you can rest assured that more than 80 percent will go towards our artists, designers and technicians.
To give and join our network use PayPal. To give and remain anonymous, use CanadaHelps.
If you choose to donate to our in-perpetuity fund, your donation will be multiplied many times through dollar-matching grants--a great return on your investment, I am sure you will agree!
Donors will receive a charitable donation tax receipt.
If you choose a business sponsorship, Business for the Arts and Heritage Canada (as /artsvest) will match all new sponsorships over $200 and up to $5,000! In return, for each event, your brand will make 10,000 impressions through our media campaign, and reach over 1,000 theatre patrons.
As our exclusive 2021-2022 season sponsor, your business will receive logo recognition on all of our print, digital, and onsite media, advertising in our programs, as well as complimentary tickets, meetings with our cast, opportunities for your employees, and many other benefits.
We would love to discuss any of these possibilities with you.
For the full reference, click here.
To access our major donation form, click here.
Yours with gratitude,
Lyne
TERRITORIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
94 Calls to Action
We would like to acknowledge that Talisman Theatre is located on unceded Indigenous lands. The Kanien'kehá:ka Nation is recognized as the custodians of the lands and waters on which we practice our art.
In June 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada held its closing event in Ottawa and presented 94 "calls to action" to further reconciliation between Canadians and Indigenous peoples. You can read them here.
As a registered Canadian charity, Talisman Theater is exempt from the Anti-Spam Act. However, in the spirit of the law, if you believe that you have not given your consent to receive our communications, or if you feel that our communications were sent to you in error, or if you no longer wish to receive communications from us, you can opt out from all future communications from Talisman Theatre by unsubscribing.
