The successful novel written by Michel Jean is heading to the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde. Behind this highly anticipated adaptation of Law is a team made up of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. Everyone is united behind the story of the heroine, Almanda, who embraces Innu culture to follow her lover.
Posted at 3:29 a.m.
Updated at 7:00 a.m.
In this novel, Michel Jean recounts the life of his grandmother Almanda, a strong and resilient woman who, as a teenager, left the small agricultural village of Saint-Prime to live with the man of her life, an Innu named Thomas Siméon arrived by Lake Saint-Jean as if pushed by the wind.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
Émilie Monnet is the director of the theatrical adaptation of Law. Jean-Luc Kanapé and embodies Malek Siméon.
Adopted by her new community, she made this indigenous culture her own and raised her large family on the vast Innu territory before settling in Mashteuiatsh. With her family, she saw the great forests of the North being swallowed up by machines, the rivers bursting their banks and the children heading to boarding schools.
So that the members of the team feel Almanda’s change of scenery in their bones, but also her visceral love for her adopted culture, director Émilie Monnet proposed an unusual journey. For a week in September, Innu actor Jean-Luc Kanapé hosted members of the cast and the design team at his home in Jetée-Raquette. “It’s in the territory, an hour and a half north of Forestville, near the Katekaukass River,” explains the man who plays Malek Siméon in the play, but who is also widely known for his commitment to saving the caribou.
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PHOTO NITO VOLLANT, PROVIDED BY ÉMILIE MONNET
The team of Law was received by Jean-Luc Kanapé at Jetée-Raquette.
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PHOTO DOMINIQUE HAWRY, PROVIDED BY ÉMILIE MONNET
The performers, including Léane Labrèche-Dor and Étienne Thibeault, rehearsed on the banks of a lake.
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PHOTO DOMINIQUE HAWRY, PROVIDED BY ÉMILIE MONNET
A rehearsal like no other, in a vast territory located an hour and a half north of Forestville.
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At Jetée-Raquette, the team was able to breathe the fresh air of Nutshimit, “the territory” in innu.
We rehearsed on a beach, learned to set snares, admired immense starry skies. There, we became like a little family.
Émilie Monnet, director of Law
For the artist born in Anishinaabe by her mother, it was essential that performers and designers could immerse themselves in this immense nature and learn about the ancestral knowledge of the Innu. “I wanted to infuse indigenous knowledge into the creative process. »
If indigenous culture – and the nature in which it is part – takes an important place in the play based on the novel, Law remains a great love story in the eyes of Émilie Monnet. “It’s a love that unfolds in four acts, over four seasons. First there is the epidermal love of Almanda [interprétée par Léane Labrèche-Dor] for Thomas [Étienne Thibeault]then the love of Nutshimit, the love of her family and finally, the love she feels for the Innu people. »
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PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
Léane Labrèche-Dor and Étienne Thibeault play the two main roles.
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PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
Sharon Fontaine Ishpatao (foreground) is part of the cast.
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PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
Jean-Luc Kanapé and Sharon Fontaine Ishpatao take on the roles of Thomas Siméon’s father and sister.
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PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
The room Law highlights several ancestral traditions, including the sweat lodge.
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PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
Émilie Monnet (second from left) follows the rehearsal attentively.
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PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
The cast includes both Indigenous and non-Indigenous performers.
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PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
Jean-Luc Kanapé and Étienne Thibeault rehearse a scene in the Innu language.
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I think we don’t see enough love stories in indigenous settings. This love between Almanda and Thomas is extraordinary, very deep. Seeing this love in Thomas, in an indigenous man, it’s beautiful, it’s refreshing… We need to see that.
Émilie Monnet, director of Law
« Lawfor me, it is the love of the territory, of the family, of the transmission of knowledge and the language,” adds Jean-Luc Kanapé.
The anthem on the boards
If Jean-Luc Kanapé has already made cinema, he lives with Law his first experience on the stage. “And I love it!” But initially, what convinced me to participate was Malek Siméon [le personnage du père de Thomas]. My grandmother is a Siméon. I am from Malek’s lineage. It made me want to honor my family. This is the history of the house. Besides, how can you say no to a role played entirely in Innu? »
Indeed, the Innu language is very present in the adaptation made by Laure Morali, in collaboration with the poet Joséphine Bacon. In fact, approximately a third of the text is in Innu; the French version of the lines will be projected on the set. “It was very important for me,” says Émilie Monnet. This language, one of the first in this territory, must resonate on the big stage of the TNM for the first time. It’s such a poetic language. Spectators will realize its richness, its depth. I am very, very happy to share all of this. »
The director also wanted to pay homage to Innu culture by integrating ancestral songs and original music composed by Mathieu McKenzie, Kim Fontaine and Hugo Perreault into the show. “All the Innu I know sing and make music. And they are all very good! In the show, we can hear the voices of Florent Vollant, Joséphine Bacon, and Jean-Pierre Fontaine for the hunter’s song. What an honor! »
Archive images signed by Jean-Claude Labrecque also bear witness to the reality of the First Nations. “Everything is integrated into projections by my sister Caroline, where she adds her more contemporary style,” says Émilie Monnet. And for the costumes, Sophie El-Assaad and Kim Picard started with traditional elements and then did very unusual things. People will be surprised! »
We chose to break up the novel to integrate stories from the territory, ancient stories translated by Joséphine [Bacon]. All this enriches the stage proposition by adding another angle to the novel.
Émilie Monnet, director of Law
Laughter rather than sadness
Adapting Michel Jean’s text for the stage, written in the first person singular and which traces the life of Almanda Siméon over nearly 80 years, was not easy. “The adaptation was a challenge,” confides Émilie Monnet. How do you adapt a linear story into a play for several characters? It was important for me to respect Michel’s family, to respect these people who existed and who still exist. We also had to make choices. » In particular not to dwell too long on the painful chapter of residential schools.
“I didn’t want the actors to have to tell that story night after night,” she says. I didn’t want to rehash these things or make a didactic show. I assume that the audience is well aware of what happened at the residential schools. Otherwise, there are many resources available for information. We want to show resilience, strength, laughter and the beauty of transmission. »
We want to show the other meaning of our life and not just the sadness of boarding schools. We want to make our daily lives, our struggles known. We can’t just live in sadness. We must heal. And I think that with Lawmany people will be healed.
Jean-Luc Kanapé, Innu actor and activist
The actor is, in the words of Émilie Monnet, a “caribou man”. He dedicates his life to saving the species, but there is more. “It was the priests who gave the name Siméon to Malek,” explains Jean-Luc Kanapé. His Innu name was Atik, which means caribou. It really touches me! And the caribou led me to transmit our culture not only to my people, but to the entire Quebec community. »
“I have always thought that we needed a bridge to bring our two peoples together. Law can be used for this. The piece will make us more visible. This is what I wish for all the young people in my community: that they come into the spotlight instead of remaining in the dark. There are so many bridges in Montreal! We can definitely take one! We will all cross it together, towards the TNM. »
Émilie Monnet agrees. “ Lawit’s more than a big theater project! I hope that with this show, people will want to get closer, to cross the bridge, as Jean-Luc says, to come and meet the Indigenous people. I want them to discover the immense talent that is in our communities. There is something healing about this room. Because we talk about love. »
Visit the show page
Law
Based on the novel by Michel Jean, adapted by Laure Morali. Directed by Émilie Monnet. With Léane Labrèche-Dor, Étienne Thibeault, Jean-Luc Kanapé, Sharon Fontaine Ishpatao and two performers
I TNMFrom November 12 to December 15. A tour will follow.
The literary phenomenon Law
- Published in 2019, Michel Jean’s novel has sold more than 222,000 copies in Quebec.
- Law is also enjoying great success internationally with sales exceeding 70,000 copies, including almost 60,000 in France.
- The novel has been translated into eight languages, including German, Arabic, Spanish, Italian and Russian. Editions in Georgian and Swedish are expected soon.
- The novel has also received several literary prizes, including the Prix France-Québec. An adaptation for a television series is also in development.
