A Comedy about the off stage antics at the NAC Orchestra
By Claude Montminy
Translated by Nina Lauren and Danielle Ellen
Directed by Gilles Provost
Featuring Manon Lafrenière, Serge Paquette et David Whiteley
Cliquez ici pour la version française de Maestro.
May 26-June 10, 2017
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m.
The NAC Orchestra’s principal second violin is gunning to be concertmaster, and invites her eccentric new conductor to her home to convince him to promote her, but the Maestro has something else in mind. To make matters worse, her ex-boyfriend composer shows up and insists on making himself a third wheel for the tête-à-tête. How low will they stoop to conquer the Maestro?
This is the English-language première of Québécois playwright Claude Montminy’s hit comedy, which is being presented in alternation with performances of the French-language original on Thursdays and Saturday matinees. Plosive is thrilled to be offering this uniquely bilingual staging to Gladstone audiences.
« It’s THE play to see. If you like comedy, you have to see this one! » – Martin Perreault, Radio-Canada
Adult: $31.63 + $2 facility fee + HST = $38
Senior (65+): $28.09 + $2 facility fee + HST = $34
Student/Artist*/Unwaged: $17.47 + $2 facility fee + HST = $22
*including Theatre Ontario members
Catch it June 9 or 10 as part of the opening weekend of Italian Week Festival!
Creative Team
Claude Montminy: Claude is both a playwright and an actor. His first comedy Voleurs d’occasion (Second Hand Thieves) premièred at the Théâtre La Fenière in Québec City in 2005. He was subsequently part of the writing team for the 2008 show Revue et corrigée (Reviewed and Corrected) at Montreal’s Théâtre du Rideau Vert. Then in the spring of 2010, he finished his MA in literature at l’Université Laval while his play Les Inséparables (The Lovebirds) premièred at the Théâtre la Marjolaine in Eastman, Québec. Four of Claude’s plays, including Mæstro (in its original French version) have been produced at the Nouveau Théâtre de l’Île d’Orléans, and this summer’s première of Un pied dans la bouche (A Foot in the Mouth) marks a fifth. Today, in addition to writing for the comedy series Ici Laflaque on Radio-Canada, Claude is in the cast of the series Complexe G on TVA.
Gilles Provost: In 1948, at the age of 10, Gilles Provost got hooked on theatre by a play in English—a language he couldn’t speak or understand! But the audience reactions, alternating between laugher and tears, gave him a passion for theatre. A professional artist since 1958, he alternates between acting and directing: 10 seasons at the NAC followed by serving as Artistic Director of Théâtre de l’Île from 1976 to 2007. Gilles is proud and happy to present, in both English and French, this comedy by Claude Montminy.
Manon Lafrenière: Manon Lafrenière has been trodding the boards for over 30 years, having played over 2000 performances at the Théâtre de l’Île, the Théâtre des Lutins, Zazou and the Compagnie Marc Chartrand. She has appeared on screen in Magalie et Compagnie and is delighted to make her Gladstone début with Mæstro.
Serge Paquette: Serge Paquette has been an actor, writer, director and theatre prof for over 40 years, over which time he has founded four summer theatres. He has acted in many Government of Canada videos as well as for Bell, Hydro Québec and many television commercials. He created and performed ”Zazou le magicien clown’´ with his own show on TVA for three years.
David Whiteley: Well known to Gladstone and Ottawa audiences as an English-language performer, David first dipped a toe into performing in French in the late 80s and has continued to do so in various performances in Montreal and a US tour of La Farce de Maître Pathelin. He is thrilled that this dual-language staging lets him present the English-language première of Montminy’s farcical take on NACO shenanigans, while at the same time making his Ottawa début in “la langue de Molière”.
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