The choice will not have been easy for the artistic unit of 23e Festival du Jamais lu, which opens today. The event dedicated to the discovery of new pieces received a record number of proposals. Founder Marcelle Dubois and the artistic co-director of the 2024 edition shared 138 texts. “There were so many very good texts, interesting, relevant files. And we only have seven days of readings! » says Lyndz Dantiste.
The actor relishes this possibility of glimpsing the dramaturgy of tomorrow. “In recent years, we have been very much in a spirit of protest, of saying who we are as a new Quebec society, at all levels. There, I feel a small change taking place — which was especially felt in the texts we chose. It’s as if all these struggles, these values are now normal, a state of affairs accepted in most texts. Let’s say that we still talk about identity, diversity, but it is no longer put forward. It’s written in scripture. »
I think we all need a little balm on our hearts, a little hope
He sees a “common desire” to talk about the future, about what awaits us. The nine texts finally read were chosen based on an editorial line entitled “Faten the light”. “We are in a period where we know things are going badly,” explains the actor. I think we all need a little balm on our hearts, a little hope. »
The opening night, Uasheiau. Break through the clouds, embodies this optimistic spirit, looking towards tomorrow: a dozen artist-child duos will perform there in a “pure state of creativity”. Lyndz Dantiste plans to take her three little ones (aged 2, 4 and 6 years old!) to see this event designed by Soleil Launière and her two young daughters-in-law, where “the children are in charge, and the adults must obey them”.
His party
And taking advantage of the fact that his 35e anniversary falls during the festival, on May 7, the artistic co-director has imagined a festive evening for the closing: The party at Lyndz. Luminescent pleasures. The Jubilee will greet spectators at the entrance, as if they were invited to his home. “But I didn’t want an event that focused too much on me. Especially since theater is a collective art. And so, I talk about the people who influenced me in my career, because there would be no Lyndz in the theater without them. It’s not because I don’t believe in my abilities, far from it! » he explains, bursting out laughing. “For me, it’s very honest and unpretentious: they are the reason why I am here. They are largely responsible for the person I am today. » According to the actor, an artistic journey is not built on its own. “It’s the encounter that creates the imagination, that gives us confidence, that makes us want to do different projects. »
The evening he will host will therefore enter the world of five artists, “who will dance or play unpublished texts”: Étienne Lou, Ève Lemieux, Claudia Chan Tak, Jessica Beauplat and Tatiana Zinga Botao, his co-founder of the Théâtre de la Sentinel. Dantiste will also present an extract from the piece that these accomplices encouraged him to create : The tragedy of Andromak Sa!. L’Andromache by Racine “translated into Creole and contextualized after the Haitian revolution, therefore with the North against the South”, describes the author, who would like to see his play staged one day, “especially with what is happening at the moment in Haiti”.
At its end, The party at Lyndz will transform into party, inviting spectators to dance on stage. “And we hope that this evening will make them want to shine the light in their lives, that it doesn’t just end within the walls of the Stables. I think it could simply be saying yes to certain things in life, or saying hello in the street! »
We would be tempted to say that Lyndz Dantiste, who himself seems a concentrate of energy and enthusiasm, has reason to celebrate. Things are going well for the performer, among others, of the recent Calls me Mohamed Ali, You are animal And Night treatment. We catch him on his dinner break as he rehearses the musical Waitress : he will sing in the ensemble this summer. “For me, it’s like a childhood dream come true. I have always loved music. A combination of circumstances meant that I found myself in the theater, and she had been left aside. »
And the actor can’t wait to play Iago next year in Othello at the New World Theater. A villain – “I’m not used to playing this kind of character” – who will allow him to explore unknown areas. ” It’s very exciting. »