Roxanne Bouchard admits it straight away: before life threw infantrymen, deminers and other members of the Canadian Armed Forces in her path, she considered herself a pure anti-militarist.
The author of numerous novels and literature teacher at CEGEP de Joliette had to reconsider her position after beginning a correspondence in 2004, almost by chance, with a soldier named Patrick Kègle. The latter was then going through his very first mission. He notably watched over a school in Kabul whose teacher had been beheaded.
This correspondence collected and published under the title In a minefield (VLB publisher) opened the doors to a universe of which she knew nothing. Other soldiers came to meet him, offered to chat over a beer about their time in Afghanistan, Haiti, Bosnia… They told each other stories as they rarely have the opportunity to do, thus knitting stitch by stitch a second book project – entitled 5 bullets in the head – now adapted for the theater.
Trust
Even today, Roxanne Bouchard is moved when she thinks of the immense trust these men placed in her.
Some of these men are barely able to leave their homes. They are in post-traumatic shock. They are not proud of their mission, because things are not going well in Afghanistan…
Roxanne Bouchard
And despite everything, they confided to this woman almost out of nowhere their exploits, their disappointments, their nightmares.
“They taught me empathy,” says Roxanne Bouchard. It was no longer a question of antimilitarist conviction or not. It was about humanity. One of them told me about the fear that gripped him. He feared he would step on a mine with every step he took… The confidence these men showed in displaying all this is true courage. »
It is this humanity which seduced the director François Bernier and which convinced him that there was poignant theatrical material in this collage of testimonies. “In my opinion, to make a good theater show, you need a little humor at the beginning to soften hearts. Then you can give them a little stab! There’s that in Roxanne’s text. The images are very strong, particularly that of the invasion. The lives of soldiers are invaded by what they experienced on mission; the daily life of the person who listens to them is also invaded by what she hears. »
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
François Bernier directs the play 5 bullets in the head.
After reading and hearing what these men went through, you can’t go back. I have a new awareness of the military world that I will no longer be able to erase.
François Bernier, director
The director, however, wishes to point out that his play is not just a series of staged testimonies. It is a proper play with metaphorical codes, symbols that slip into the subject. “It is a dynamic and rhythmic story which is more like documented theater than documentary theater à la I like Hydro. »
Maxim Gaudette plays two of the characters in the play. Gerry, a helicopter pilot, and François Vézina, an armored warrant officer who must live with the weight of the decisions he has made. “What touched me at first reading was the closeness we felt with the military. It’s a physical thing. You feel their state, their fatigue, their anxiety. It’s palpable and it’s a great strength of the text. Roxanne has succeeded in creating a bond of trust which gives us access to all these intimate things. »
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
The distribution of 5 bullets in the head in full rehearsal
“For an actor, it’s very interesting to deal with all that, to play people who are alive and who will perhaps come to see the show,” adds the actor. From the beginning, I have tried to interpret these roles in the most stripped-down way possible. To give the audience access to the vulnerability of the characters, you have to be real, real, real. »
Changed perception
Has this theatrical adventure changed his perception of war and those who wage it?
“There is a pride in being part of the army that I understand better since I joined the team 5 bullets in the head, says Maxim Gaudette. These men, these soldiers have all my respect. I don’t think I would be able to do what they did… But my position on the war remains the same. Since I was young, I have wondered what war is ultimately for. For me, it remains an absurd reality, even if I know that in certain socio-political contexts, there are things that we must defend and protect. But hey, in the heat of the moment, you can’t ask yourself these kinds of questions! »
To promote understanding of what members of the Canadian Armed Forces experienced, particularly in Afghanistan, François Bernier plans to offer discussion activities after a few performances. “We really want the public to have a space to exchange ideas. We want to break down the fourth wall, in a way. This encounter, this real communion is one of the great strengths of theater. These men often feel abandoned by society. They think that their stories are of no interest to anyone…”
Roxanne Bouchard and Maxim Gaudette both remember experiencing a very moving moment after a public reading presented a few years ago at Notre-Dame-des-Prairies. “Several soldiers were in the room,” says the author. They went on stage after the performance and people stood up to applaud them. They who are never applauded anywhere. For once, they weren’t portrayed as rotten, worthless people. Through the play, they saw themselves. It gave meaning to what they were experiencing. It was very touching. By feeling their emotion, I had the feeling of having accomplished something with them. »
5 bullets in the headat La Licorne, from March 5 to April 5
Consult the part page