In 2014, at age 43, François Grisé embarked on an unusual adventure, an experience that would change the course of his personal and professional life. “There are those who buy Lamborghinis on credit, there are those who leave their families for a younger woman, I decided to go and live for a month in an old man’s house. “
Play in eight chapters, the first four of which were premiered at the La Licorne theater in October 2019 before being published by Atelier 10 editions, All inclusive is presented these days at Duceppe in its three-hour full version. Thanks to François Grisé, author and actor, and Alexandre Fecteau, director, you can access a private residence for seniors (RPA) in Val-d’Or whose tenants translate into words and silences the strengths and weaknesses of the health system, the joys and pangs of aging. No doubt, Quebec documentary theater still has the wind in its sails.
Following the auriferous metaphor – it is after all about approaching the golden age in Val-d’Or -, the first four chapters are devoted to the stay of a very endearing hero in the common and private areas of the Gardens. heritage. In the course of François’ exchanges with Gisèle, Gerry, Lorraine, Victor, Darquise and the others, one hears tenderness and complicity, but even more distress and resignation, denial and dispossession.
The following four chapters, loaded with facts and analyzes but no less moving, provide an essential highlighting of the human and political issues that are expressed in the fate we reserve for the elderly. These include money, spirituality, marketing, solidarity and, of course, COVID-19.
After having brilliantly embodied an earthy gallery of residents, Marie Cantin, Jean-François Gaudet and Marie-Ginette Guay camp in the second part of the show an enlightening selection of specialists – geriatrician, sociologist, advertising strategist and demographer – who make us understand how the fate of the elderly concerns the whole community. According to the Quebec government, the number of people aged 65 and over will reach 2,877,998 in 2061, or 28.5% of the population. It seems urgent to give these men and women choices, in particular that of staying as long as possible in their homes.
It is the journey of Alice and Gilles, the father and mother of François Grisé, which serves as a common thread for the show. Funny and terrible, futile and tragic, their adventures make us glimpse with concern the fate that awaits our parents, and of course the one that awaits us. Fortunately, All inclusive opens the dialogue, triggers a crucial conversation that could well make old age in Quebec a richer, more diverse, more inclusive experience.