On Saturday April 2nd a crowd gathered in Ormstown to enjoy the theatre production, Vive le doc and the book launch of Tranches de vie. The event was coordinated by Manon Gauthier of En Bonne Compagnie—a project with mission to bring awareness to problems facing residents 50 and up living in the Haut Saint-Laurent.
The afternoon began at two o’clock with a performance of the play Vive le doc, written and directed by Nathalie Fournier of Une Affaire de Famille (a community organization serving the Upper Saint Lawrence). Nathalie conceptualized the play specifically for this co-production with the goal to highlight the treatment of seniors in our region. The story takes place in the waiting room of a doctor’s office, where several patients talk amongst themselves and come to suspect they aren’t being treated very well.
Nathalie, a local playwright, purposefully cast the play with six local amateur actors. The intention was to realistically portray, and spread awareness of, the problem of maltreatment of seniors in the community. At the Friday night rehearsal, Nathalie reported that, “Everyone was feeling quite stressed.” The nerves paid off with a successful performance enjoyed by a captivated audience.
Following a brief repose, the production continued with Lianne Finnie’s launch of the book of photos and text entitled, Tranches de vie. She spoke about the experience of making the book and then showed one video. This project is the culmination of a joint venture between En Bonne Compagnie and Maison des Jeunes of Huntingdon (an organization with a mission to help the adults of tomorrow). To make the book, Lianne traveled around the region interviewing seniors and asking them what life advice they would like to share and taking photos and video.
Other than her own grandparents, Lianne explains that she hadn’t had all that much experience getting to know older generations. She describes the experience of drumming up the courage to approach her first interviewees in a local restaurant as nerve-wracking but incredibly rewarding. A message she heard repeatedly was: “You should take the time to share with neighbours and family and be there as a community member. My other big takeaway from the project is that I learned the sincere importance of listening. People share so much when we really listen.” The book will be available at local libraries in the MRC, including The Little Green Library in Huntingdon.
The afternoon’s events were provided free for the community. This successful co-production between En Bonne Compagnie, Une Affaire de Famille, and Maison des Jeunes highlights the tremendous benefits of combining the arts with social missions.
