Talisman Theatre to introduce new French-language Quebec plays to anglophone audiences via translation
Talisman Theatre was born to build bridges. Its mandate is to introduce new French-language Quebec plays to anglophone audiences via translation. The company’s latest work, The Flood Thereafter (Le Deluge apres), by Sarah Berthiaume, translated into English by Nadine Desrochers, opens tonight at Theatre La Chapelle.
Asked how she approaches cross-cultural works, Tibaldo replied: “It absolutely depends on the play that’s being translated. There’s the gamut of opinions about putting it into a different cultural context. What do you do about jokes? Religion? What are those boundaries? I think they change according to who your intended audience is.”
Since The Flood Thereafter is being presented in Montreal, it’s presumed that everyone is aware of the cultural references. But its creators did generalize the location of the backwater town. Just in case it tours, or finds an out-of-province market.
A lot of anglophones never go to see French theatre, she said. “We all take the metro together. We all see the same advertisements, we all go to the movies, or concerts, together. We share so much of our culture, except for theatre.”
Tibaldo hopes The Flood Thereafter will turn the tide.