A very nice business card for the play which will be presented until November 9 when the director Robert Lepage won the prize for direction, Ariane Sauvé that of set design and Nicolas Descôteaux, that of lighting design.
For Olivier Normand, who takes over the role of Simon, played by Robert Lepage in the first version launched in 2021, this is a well-deserved recognition for the members of the technical team of this play which includes, among other things, puppets in the universe where the character of Simon evolves.
“Like many of Robert’s shows, Courville is a conjuncture of all its parts. There are puppets, yes, but also a set that moves a lot and which is also a bit of a puppet,” illustrates the actor in an interview with The Sun.
“It’s a reward for all the details that make up the work. »
— Olivier Normand
“The technical team is really present in this show where there are a lot of changes, I am never alone on the set. There is a whole team with me! And they are good. In creation, it was very rare to hear people say no and if we were told no, it was really after having tried everything to move things forward,” explains the actor.
Tight
The new show, lasting two hours rather than three in its original version, has already been presented in Montreal as well as in Taiwan and, this spring, at the 52nd Hong Kong Arts Festival.
“The show was tightened, certain scenes compressed, so it’s quite a different version,” says Normand. As for his vision of the role first played by Lepage, he says he approached it in the same way as the role of the character of Robert, first played by Marc Labrèche, in another work by Lepage, Needles and Opium.
“Robert (Lepage) presented the plot to me and told me that it was not him who played it, but me. He gave me a lot of freedom,” says Olivier Normand. He admits to having liked the fact of being able to change a few elements of the show during the first two weeks of its presentation at the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde.
“It’s something that really motivates me. For example, Robert told me that it would be thefun if the character of Sophie had an English accent”, indicates the one who also lends his voice to certain puppets.
Public of Quebec
Olivier Normand admits to being eager to slip into the shoes of Simon, this sculptor who recounts the questions and insecurities of his adolescence using puppets, for the public in the capital.
Even if the room was not built for the Diamond, the format of the room is ideal for its presentation, as is the sound system. And like Courville takes place in this former municipality of the capital region merged with Beauport, then with Quebec, he expects the work to resonate even more for Quebec audiences.
After having performed the play for the last time in English in Hong Kong, Normand will however have to return to French. “I have the impression that my Vanier accent was a little less punchy in Hong Kong!” laughs the actor in closing.
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