Something very beautiful is happening in theatrical creation in Quebec. For some time now, a strong current of documentary shows has been popular. They are created by young artists who shake up the codes of their art, with works that raise burning social questions. And appeal to both spectators and citizens in the room.
At the head of this current trend, we must mention the shows of the company Porte Parole, such as I like Hydro, Sexy concrete, The assembly Where All inclusive (in co-production) … Now added Rose and the machine, creation of Maude Laurendeau, who shares the spotlight with Julie Le Breton at Duceppe since last week.
Rose and the machine tells the story of Maude Laurendeau, a young mother of two daughters, the eldest of whom, Rose, is autistic. The play is thus in the vein of the other documentary stories of Porte Parole.
However, this time, instead of starting from the general to go towards the particular, the creator starts from her intimate and personal history to approach a larger social stake.
We follow her in her efforts to understand the state of her daughter, while she continues to fulfill her role of loving, reassuring mother. From the announcement of the diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to its meetings with health system specialists and school stakeholders.
In the excellent staging of Édith Patenaude, Laurendeau plays each step of her process and brings out the people she has met on her path. All the secondary characters (43) are brilliantly interpreted by the actress Julie Le Breton – who is also Laurendeau’s sister-in-law in life. The text is based on excerpts from meetings and interviews that she has carried out over the years.
The two actresses move in a decor of blocks and modules arranged throughout the scenic space. This scenography signed by the very talented Patrice Charbonneau-Brunelle evokes both children’s games and the boxes imposed by society.
Tears of joy
Along the way, the actress had to harden herself to face a dehumanized system, while also facing her own fears; because the mother will realize that she too has prejudices in the face of difference. In the middle of its mad race, an unexpected event will change everything: the pandemic. With the confinement and closure of the elementary school that Rose has been attending for a few months, things are changing. For the best.
Far from social conformism, Rose’s difference becomes an originality, no longer a problem. The author then proposes a reflection on the place of neurodiversity in our performance societies.
At the end, at the moment of the salute, the two actresses could not restrain their tears (of joy), undoubtedly relieved by the heavy applause. But also by the humanity and the warmth that the theater brings to the great disorder of our lives. After crossing the desert with Rose, this courageous mother finally realizes that she will never be alone again.
Rose and the machine
By Maude Laurendeau. Dramaturgy by Annabel Soutar. Production Porte Parole.
At Duceppe, Until December 18
Visit Duceppe’s website Listen to the live audio broadcast