The Ballad of Georges Boivin

May 25 @ 3:30 pm May 26 @ 3:30 pm

At 77, Georges Boivin “gives the dice a roll”. Georges just lost his wife, you see, the “centre of his universe”. But there is life after 70 and it must continue even after great loss. With his three friends, all older than he, he sets out on road trip from Québec to Vancouver, in search of his first love who he hasn’t seen in 50 years.

It is no secret that older artists can face challenges related to physical and cognitive age-related changes. However, far greater impediments to their successful participation in the arts are the social stigmas of ageism and ableism. No matter what their age or their physical or mental abilities may be, older adults can and should participate in the arts. And not just any arts, but high-quality, innovative, and contemporary arts.

Bouche Theatre Collective & The Creatus Project In association with Western Gold Theatre

Playwright: Martin Bellemare (il)

Translator, Director & Creative Producer – Jack Paterson (he, him)

Performer: Allan Morgan

Company: Bouche Theatre Collective (Vancouver, Canada)

Company: The Creatus Project (Vancouver, Canada)

Playwright: Martin Bellemare (il)

Martin Bellemare is a Montreal playwright most noted for his plays Le chant de Georges Boivin, which won the Prix Gratien-Gélinas (2009), and Cœur minéral, which won the Governor General’s Award for French-language drama (2020). A graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada, his work has been produced in Quebec, France, Poland and Switzerland and translated into German, Italian and Lithuanian.

Associate Company: Western Gold Theatre (Vancouver, Canada)

Western Gold Theatre is the premier company in the country focused on sharing and celebrating the talents of senior professional theatre artists (age 55+). Western Gold also mentors emerging younger professional artists as they ‘share the boards’ with us. We are a vibrant creative gathering place for artists and audiences, young and old.

(Inter Provincial Canada) | More Info

2023: Bali / Canada Cross Cultural Creation (Bali, Indonesia) | More Info

2023: The Creatus Project: Ageing in the Performing Arts Research & Creation (Vancouver, Canada) | More Info

2023: Professional Development: Arene, Robert Lepage, Ex Machina & Flip Fabrique (Quebec City, Canada) | More Info

Jack Paterson, M.F.A.

Devisor. Director. Dramaturg. Translator. Actor. Producer.

www.JackPatersonTheatre.com

The Creatus Project: https://creatus.ca/

Co-Founder & Producer:www.bouchewhacked.com

Co-Founder & Producer: www.newtranslationcanada.com

Co-Founder & Producer:www.globalhivelabs.org
pronouns: he/him/his (Learn more about gender affirming language)

Talkback participant: Julia Henderson, PhD

CREATIVE ACCESSIBILITIES FACILITATOR

Julia Henderson (she/her) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at the University of British Columbia. She is a registered occupational therapist, holds a PhD in Theatre (UBC), and a Diploma in acting (Circle in the Square). Her research explores how theatre and performance practices contribute to cultural constructions of aging and old(er) age. Julia’s recent postdoctoral work (with Concordia University and the Sunshine Coast’s Raising the Curtain on the Lived Experience of Dementia Project) re-imagines dementia tragedy narratives and the concept of ‘assistance’ by employing a community-engaged, creative arts intervention involving persons with dementia and their caregivers. Henderson’s research on dramaturgies of aging offers insights on how dramatic structure, design, staging, performance style, and marketing might influence understandings of age. An award-winning researcher, Henderson’s writings on age and theatre are published in Theatre Research in Canada, The Journal of American Drama and Theatre, The Thornton Wilder Journal, Canadian Theatre Review, and Age, Culture, Humanities: An Interdisciplinary Journal. Julia is also Creative Accessibilities Facilitator with Western Gold Theatre. www.imaginationnetwork.org