David Goudreault will present the Montreal premiere of his new show next week at the Théâtre Maisonneuve In the margin of the text. He thus resumes his role as ferryman, with the same mixture of humor and poetry whose recipe he has already successfully tested.
For his return to the stage, the slammer-poet-novelist-musician even sought the advice of two artists with very different profiles: Mariana Mazza and Richard Séguin. The spectrum, he agrees, is very broad. “But it’s not a big, meaningless gap. »
Anyone who saw At the tip of your tongue, David Goudreault’s first show, knows that he handles humor as well as poetry. Nevertheless, he was very relieved when he heard Mariana Mazza’s great bursts of laughter when she attended her first break-in evening last fall.
“When Spectra recommended that I hire people to have an eye on the production, I immediately thought of her, because I find her authentic. I told myself if I can make this girl laugh, that means the humor is working. »
He also counted on his advice for the performance aspect. As for his friend Richard Séguin, his gaze reinforced his “visceral” choice of poems.
“I wanted his opinion: is it working, have you experienced anything? That encouraged me. Now the running-in is over, I’m in “I want to get out of the enclosure” mode. »
Inhabit the stage
In At the tip of your tongueDavid Goudreault told how he became a writer. In the margin of the text this time tells his story as a reader.
“How I became a reader, and why I remain one. I talk about how reading has been a lifeline, also how it is at the heart of who we are as a nation. It really goes from the personal to the universal. »
Between the great texts of Anne Hébert, Hector de Saint-Denys Garneau, Arthur Rimbaud or Agota Kristof, David Goudreault will tell anecdotes, read some letters he wrote for the show Good evening… and will even play a little piano – he took lessons specifically for that.
We knew he was a jack of all trades, but we wonder what the next step will be… contemporary dance? He is laughing. ” No ! I officially commit not to do contemporary dance or sculpture. » The music, he explains, serves above all as breathing space in a show that is nonetheless very dense, like the previous one.
Being dense, for me, is a compliment! Generosity is a great quality to have as an artist. The show is busy, I’m giving it a try. It’s also a question of respect for the spectator, a way of recognizing the choice that people make to come and see me.
David Goudreault
Created in 2017, At the tip of your tongue was born somewhat by chance. It is in fact an adaptation for the stage of a conference that he had already given in schools around 600 times.
“It was really a nice surprise… which I played more than 400 times afterwards! This is my second show, but my first real one which is written, performed, edited, wanted. »
There is now a real stage, decor, accessories, lighting worthy of the name. And he inhabits the stage “to the fullest”, now that he knows his playing field. “I calculated, I make 51 trips! Well, it’s not Michel Courtemanche, but still. »
Popular artist
In recent years, David Goudreault has become a real star, straddling several disciplines whose common thread is always writing. He was propelled by the popularity of his novel series The beasthis numerous collaborations with other artists, from Luce Dufault to Louis-Jean Cormier, his notable appearances on TV, and the success of his previous show.
This popularity delights him, even if it sometimes comes with criticism. And he embraces it completely, because it allows him to “transmit a passion that is not that popular,” he declares.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
David Goudreault
If, through this proximity, I manage to get a few more books read, to make a few Quebec authors known, that’s already a lot. Plus, I’m a full-time artist. I’m not going to start spitting in the soup.
David Goudreault
What guides him, he adds, is really “the love of books and literature”. “And not literary ones. » Pause, knowing look. But still ?
“My love of literature is inversely proportional to my love of the literary world. » It’s true, his relations are difficult with the environment, which has been rather harsh with him.
“We don’t like each other very much and that’s okay. I’m not in the clique, that’s fine with me. To a certain extent, that reassures me. »
Largely equipped
David Goudreault knows that he is embarking on a big undertaking: he has around sixty shows planned until the end of 2024, and other dates will be announced soon for 2025. “I don’t know if we will go until the end of 2024. at 400. Maybe. But several hundred performances, that’s for sure. »
So he’s getting ready to hit the road… even though he hates touring.
I know how tired it is after 200,000 km of highway driving, and relatively poor sleep at the Louise Motel, to name just one! It’s the encounter at the end that turns me on. Taking the road is painful, each encounter will be a pleasure.
David Goudreault
He wants this show to reach people from all walks of life, but never at the expense of the content. “Being popular is not synonymous with a lack of quality,” says the man for whom humor is above all a process.
“In my shows, there are also people who cry! I say very hard things, and very beautiful things, and some stupid things. But my commitment is that you will leave with something in your head. Or in the heart. Or ideally both. »
Consult the show calendar