Born at the end of the XVIIIe century in Louisiana, of Siouse-Iowa origin, Marie Iowa undertakes, in the XIXe century, a crossing of the continent with her husband and her two children in the hope, like so many others at the time, of finding wealth and happiness in the West. She thus leads this epic journey which will lead her, in particular, to climb the Rockies.
One of the forgotten heroines who have shaped the past and paved the way for so many possibilities, Marie Iowa Dorion comes to life these days on the stage of the Maison Théâtre in The one who walks far. Written, directed and performed by Maude Gareau and Gildwen Peronno, the play allows these magicians of the object to shed light on a forgotten figure in great history. Creators of illusions, Gareau and Peronno manage, with few means, to recreate a world, to transport the spectators in this past which is just as exhilarating as it is difficult. The American continent thus comes to life thanks to a simple rope placed on the ground, inside which glass marbles personify the 1000 indigenous nations that inhabited the territory. Then comes the conqueror, Gildwen Peronno, immense above these objects. With both feet firmly planted in the middle of the rope, he picks up the balls and bags them, a symbol of this domination. The effect is total. Several key moments in the history of this woman are thus evoked with ingenuity. There is in particular the climbing of the Rockies, a sculpture made with saws. Fitted one above the other, they evoke this irregular assault. The cold, the snowstorms (chalk powder blown on the objects), the attack of the Shoshones (darts thrown by Peronno on the territory) and the lack of food experienced by Marie (a fork stuck in a figurine of horse) are part of these moments that transport the spectators out of time, far from the Maison Théâtre, into the life of this audacious woman.
All punctuated with humor
The ingenuity of the two artists is intimately linked to their acting. Peronno embodies several roles, passing in particular from Pierre, the husband, to Hunt, the leader of the expedition, with ease, while narrating and manipulating the objects. Maude Gareau is just as fabulous in the role of Marie, go-getter, determined and mother of two children – marbles that she keeps on her –, as in the narration.
The staging also leaves room for a lot of humor. Several scenes, sometimes harsh, thus take on the appearance of comedy. At the top, a battle between Marie and a bear, the latter represented by a stuffed animal that will be abused. Or the anachronistic repeated presence of a mammoth in the decor – a figurine of course – which creates a bond with the spectators. Complicity which is reinforced by a continual breaking of the 4e wall.
However, the piece would not be as felt without the omnipresence of music by Olivier Monette-Milmore. Character in itself, the very cinematic musical score tells the epic adventure of Marie Iowa, her hopes, her trials, and helps to propel us into this intense yesterday. Have.