After Hydro, Christine Beaulieu is interested in salmon from the Mitis

After conquering Quebec with his play I love Hydro (which will return to Place des Arts in August), Christine Beaulieu is doing it again this summer with a second documentary show presented in mid-July at the Jardins de Métis and devoted to the salmon of the Mitisipu (the Mitis river in Mi’kmaq). Conversation with an actress who blossoms more and more in her role as an author.

Stephanie Morin
The Press

Tell us about this show Mitisipu salmon. What is it about ?

The Reford Gardens gave me carte blanche last summer to present a performance. I decided to write a text on the salmon of the Mitis River. I tell all the journey that the salmon have to make in the river. Did you know that they have to be transported by truck to cross certain roadblocks? I take the salmon’s point of view, from egg to adulthood. The performance lasts approximately 35 minutes. It is in the same documentary and somewhat scientific tone that I love Hydro. For this summer, the text has been improved. I added the character of Elsie Reford (founder of the Jardins de Métis), whose 150^and birthday. It will be performed by Alice Pascual for the three performances, July 15, 16 and 17. The text will also be published by Editions de La Bagnole and will be illustrated by Caroline Lavergne. As for knowing if this text will be taken up one day in Montreal, I’m thinking about it…

Writing seems to be taking more and more place in your career.

I love Hydro changed my life. Really. In particular, I realized how much I love to write. Speaking as an author is more engaging than being an interpreter and bringing someone else’s words to life. There is nothing more rewarding or powerful than writing to participate in a reflection that is not only theatrical, but social. I dreamed about this deep in my heart. annabel [Soutar, directrice de la compagnie théâtrale Porte Parole], was magical to see that I had that in me. I thank her every day for opening this door to me. When I write, I boil, I vibrate. For the text on the Mitisipu salmon, I managed to go ahead without a mentor. I didn’t have my text reread, I imagined the staging myself. I made a little Marie Brassard of myself; she is a woman who is a great inspiration to me. I compromised, and it went well.

Could we attend another play signed by your hand one day?

May be. I’m still discovering my writing style. I realize that I am always affected by the same issues: nature, Aboriginal realities, the environment. I don’t have Fanny Britt’s talent for writing stories, but I like to reflect on the impact of humans on nature.

You will also resume I love Hydro starting in August at Place des Arts. However, the piece has been improved. What changes in this new version?

With the arrival of Sophie Brochu at the head of Hydro-Québec, it was inconceivable for me not to write about this new stage. So I added material to the fifth chapter of the show. This will be the final version of I love Hydro. Since the beginning of the adventure, it was very much the story of Christine who meets men from a generation other than her own. With Sophie Brochu, we are in a different dynamic. She is a woman I admire very much. Speaking with her, I realized that the questions we asked ourselves when the show was created in 2014 are still very relevant. Will we manage to mourn our major hydroelectric projects in Quebec? Why save kilowatt-hours rather than producing new ones? I also wanted to talk to him about his relationship with the CAQ government. When I spoke to Prime Minister Legault, I did not get the impression that he had a great desire to mourn the construction of the dams…

I love Hydro undeniably marked your career, but what impact has the play had on your life?

Since I love Hydro, I am less decided in my opinions. I am more nuanced, less drastic. I can no longer see things in black or white. I understood that each environment has its stakes, its imperatives. And that a situation is never as simple as you think when you look at it from the inside. My consciousness has also quintupled, which is good, but doesn’t necessarily make me feel any better. I’m currently doing renovations, and it’s complicated because I ask myself a thousand questions at each stage!

What do you think of the proliferation of documentary plays?

It’s extraordinary. When Annabel Soutar met me in 2014 to ask me to work on I love Hydro, she wanted the theater to become an arena for talking about social issues. When I see the success of a play like Rose and the machineit touches me, because I realize that I love Hydro participated in this development, which it inspired other creators. In addition, this play was able to attract people who do not usually go to the theater: engineers, Hydro employees… There are men who told me: I have seen two plays in my life: brew and I love Hydro ! It’s a great success!

Mitisipu salmon will be presented on July 15, 16 and 17 at the Jardins de Métis. Tickets on sale end of April. The room I love Hydro will be repeated in its final version from August 5 to 7, at the Théâtre Maisonneuve of Place des Arts. We can see Christine Beaulieu in the series eye of the storm on ICI TOU. TV, as well as in movies New Quebec and norbourg (in April).