Requiem pour un trompettiste

 

A drama by Claude Guilmain published by Les Éditions L'Interligne.

Created for the opening of the Festival Zones Théâtrales in September 2005 and subsequently presented at Théâtre Glendon, this production staged by the author was nominated for the Masque de la production franco-canadienne 2006.

Synopsis

Summer of 1958. A small town is rocked by a public health scandal. While Mayor Groulx is at the hotel fulfilling his carnal desires, his deputies at the town hall are attempting to conceal negligence that has taken the lives of many citizens.

 

Requiem pour la trompettiste is a satire of contemporary politics. The play, which denounces political corruption and public misinformation, is inspired by the Walkerton case, a contaminated water scandal which caused a stir in the Ontario news in 2000.

In this piece, in the style of film noir, the action takes place in two locations simultaneously: in the office of the deputy mayor of a small town and in a hotel room close to the town hall. The characters move within these two places, flowing from one to the other.

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Inspired by the jazz of the forties and fifties, the music composed by Claude Naubert, is in continuous and simultaneous support of the two frames while creating the dramatic atmosphere of film noir.

The public is divided into two groups. One part follows the story from the side of the hotel room and the other, the simultaneous action in the office of the deputy mayor. During intermission, the audience moves to the other side and the play begins again, allowing viewers to experience the flip side of the coin. An understanding of the story is only complete after attending its two sides. The experience will be different depending on the order in which the spectators view the sequence of the show.

In January 2012, Le Théâtre La Tangente had the opportunity of presenting a revised version of Requiem pour un trompettiste, directed by Louise Naubert at Espace Libre in Montreal. The headphones distributed to spectators favoured a greater sound balance and provided viewers with the feeling of eavesdropping on the channel of their choice.

Les Éditions L'Interligne published the play Requiem pour la trompettistedu dramaturge Claude Guilmain.

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Distribution

Conceptualization: Claude Guilmain

Script and artistic direction of the project: Claude Guilmain

Direction 2005 : Claude Guilmain

Direction 2012 : Louise Naubert

Scenography: Claude Guilmain, Dany Boivin

Original music and sound design: Claude Naubert

Sound: Éric Tessier

Lighting: Guillaume Houët-Brisebois

Costumes : Valérie Kaelin

Costume coordination (2012): Elysabeth Daigle

Stage management 2005 (Ottawa, Toronto) : Guillaume Houët-Brisebois

Stage Management (Montreal) 2012: Carole Caouette

Assistant to the Stage Manager: Aurélien Muller

Production manager 2005: Guillaume Houët-Brisebois

Production managers 2012: Daniel Waddell / Claude Guimain

Technical Direction: Claude Guilmain

Technical Consultant: Duncan Appleton

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Production cast, 2012

Marcelo Arroyo (Frank Zupan), Vincent Leclerc (Jacques Lapointe), Bernard Meney (Pierre Rivard), Pier Paquette (Rosaire Groulx), Victor Andres Trelles-Turgeon (valet), Marie Turgeon (Mlle Lalonde).

Production cast of the premiere, 2005

Steve Baker (Frank Zupan), Roch Castonguay (Rosaire Groulx), Stephan Cloutier (Jacques Lapointe), Nathalie Nadon (Mlle Lalonde), Tony Nardi (Pierre Rivard),Manuel Verreydt (valet).

Musicians

Marc Auguste Jr.(piano), Sly Juhas (drums), Claude Naubert (musical director and keyboards), Dave Powell (keyboards), Kevin Turcotte (trumpet) , Darren Wall (bass)

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Photos / Videos

 

Reviews

« Here we see a unique way of combining theatrical magic with clever storytelling. »
Joel Fishbane, The Charlebois Post, January 14, 2012 - Read the article

« Requiem pour un trompettiste propose une expérience théâtrale sensorielle stimulante et une histoire noire des plus classiques qui raviront les amateurs du genre. »
David Lefebvre, mon(théâtre).qc.ca, January 11, 2012 - Read the review

« Requiem is seamless, entertaining, engaging; all the elements are thoroughly realized. In fact, the play is such a high-calibre piece of entertainment that it would be easy to miss the scathing political statement Guilmain is making. »
Elysha del Giusto-Enos, The Link, January 11, 2012 - Read the review

« A criminally clever coup de théâtre, Claude Guilmain’sRequiem pour un trompettiste manages the amazing feat of being both an homage to film noir and a timely expose on corruption in politics. (…) »
Alex Woolcott, Rover Arts, January 11, 2012 - Read the review

« Ce qui est intéressant, c'est le dispositif scénique de la pièce. (...) Chaque lieu et chaque situation nourrit l'autre. (...) C'est une pièce qui est intéressante, divertissante... »
Nathalie Petrowski, Radio-Canada, January 11, 2012 - Listen

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Awards and Distinctions

The first Franco-Ontario winning work of an English translation and a staged reading of the translation; selected by professional companies, members of Théâtre Action, with the aim of raising the profile of the work and its author in the English language. Festival Feuilles vives, Ottawa 2012.

Selected in 2004 by the Festival Zones Théâtrales for Théâtre français under the National Arts Centre and presented the opening show in September 2005.

Nominated for the Masque de la production franco-canadienne in 2006.