She enrolled in an optional theater performance course in the middle of her university management course at the University of Ottawa. “I thought I would get a good grade easily!” » But Stephie Mazunya earned more than an A: she experienced real love at first sight that changed her life.
“I loved this class so much that I left management to minor in drama!” », says the young woman. Originally from Burundi, the one who emigrated to Ottawa at the age of 14 followed her passion to Montreal, where in 2019 she completed her studies at the National Theater School (ENT) of Canada.
What did his father, a professor of French literature, and his mother, a sociologist, think of this change of direction, which was radical to say the least? “They supported me, but the instability of the profession still worries them…”
After a bittersweet time on the benches of the ENT – where her accent not Quebecois enough for the taste of some earned her some “borderline racist” comments from her peers – she multiplied the projects with renowned directors. Denis Marleau in Thirst Materials. Solène Paré in The wolves. Sophie Cadieux in Nassara.
She is now preparing to carry on her shoulders the central role of rope. steepa play signed by debbie tucker green, translated by Fanny Britt and presented at Espace Go.
The premise of the text by the British of Jamaican origin sends shivers down your spine. In a near future never identified, legal processes have changed for victims of violent acts. It is now the latter who choose the punishment of their attacker…
“My character is the victim of an atrocious crime, but the procedure for choosing the punishment is also very violent for this woman. The text highlights the daily violence experienced by racialized people, particularly black women, and questions the place given to them in our society. It’s a dystopia, but the issues are very current. »
debbie tucker green wrote this text following the privatization of prisons in England. She wondered how far this logic could lead.
Stephanie Mazunya
During the first reading of the play, Stephie Mazunya was blown away by the British’s dramatic writing. “His writing is very impactful; the rhythm is very important and the silences too. She addresses very political issues with great finesse, without ever being frontal. It’s the kind of text you think about long after the show. I want to live up to this character, give him all the nuances he deserves. »
Parallels
The 30-year-old performer admits to having drawn parallels between what her character experiences and what she herself experiences on a daily basis. “It’s not as serious things as in the play. Hurtful words are often explained by a certain ignorance, but the repetition of this ignorance ends up becoming violent. »
Stephie Mazunya is “honored” to lend her voice to this character, as she is delighted to work with director Alexia Bürger on this project. “She is a woman of great sensitivity. » She is also very happy to share the stage with Eve Landry and Patrice Dubois, “two performers in full mastery of their art”.
It’s important for me to feel like my voice is important in the rehearsal room. I like to share my vision of things. Since my time at the National School, I have become very interested in various social issues…
Stephanie Mazunya
She also found another way to make her voice heard: that of writing. Next April, his piece Get excited will be presented in the Jean-Claude Germain room at the Center du Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui. “S’enjailler means to have fun in Ivorian slang. I wanted to represent black women in a lighter context. I wanted us to exist outside of trauma. My characters are millennials, academics, dating, talking about their relationships. The play is also a way of reclaiming the language of young people in Montreal! »
Stephie Mazunya intends to continue her career as a performer and playwright. “Writing allows me to fully express myself as an artist. Representing diverse communities in theater allows the audience to access something intimate. The viewer can understand all the subtleties and thus get to know us better…”
The room rope. steep is presented from September 19 to October 15 at Espace Go.
To be continued
Providencia
PHOTO KEVIN CALIXTE, PROVIDED BY THE THÉÂTRE AUX ÉCURIES
Emmanuelle Lussier-Martinez (center) is part of the cast of Providencia.
A Colombian family, eccentric to say the least, is at the heart of this comedy by Mariana Tayler which opens the Aux Écuries season. Inspired by an event experienced in her family scattered across the four corners of the world, Providencia recounts the astonishing (and festive) funeral of the matriarch who died at the dawn of her 80th birthday. The event brings together the clan in Boston, including Adriana, a careerist on the verge of professional burnout, played by Emmanuelle Lussier-Martinez. A text imbued with magical realism directed by Marie Farsi.
From September 19 to 30, Aux Écuries
Lau
PHOTO KELLY JACOB, PROVIDED BY DUCEPPE
Marie Bernier plays the title character of the play Lau.
The backstage of the Théâtre Duceppe welcomes the short play for 5 to 7 Lau, by Marie-Pier Audet. There we meet Laura, a thirty-year-old adrift who decides to consult a clairvoyant named Jocelyne in the hope of finding answers to the many questions that bother her. From the loss of her mother when she was a child to the lover who has just left, Laura seeks to put the scattered pieces of her life back together. A monologue carried by Marie Bernier (supported by Catherine Viau), directed by Frédéric Blanchette.
From September 12 to 29 at Duceppe
Room for living exs in times of extinction
PHOTO RICHMOND LAM, PROVIDED BY THE UNICORN
Fabiola Nyrva Aladin will be alone on stage in Room for living exs in times of extinction.
Evening of theatrical performance. The performers being unable to appear on stage, the playwright replaced them at short notice, offering the public a “rapid entire history of the planet”. Between mass extinctions and climate crisis, she questions with great hope about humanity and its future. This solo text, written by the American Miranda Rose Hall and directed by Rose Plotek, is brought to the stage by Fabiola Nyrva Aladin.
At the intimate room of the Théâtre La Licorne, from September 18 to October 6
Before the purple hour
PHOTO MAUDE BÉGIN-ROBITAILLE, PROVIDED BY PERISCOPE
Before the purple hour uses western codes to address feminist issues.
Maude Bégin-Robitaille signs the text of this creation which discusses feminism against a western backdrop. In this tense closed-door setting on a ranch in the middle of the desert, six female characters with powerful voices are heard. A rage burns within them against this universe which imposes social codes on them without worrying about their desires and their ambitions. A text carried by seven performers, directed by Marie-Hélène Lalande.
From September 19 to October 7 at the Périscope Theater in Quebec