Albertine in Five Times
Staged Performance
About The Performance
Albertine In Five Times
Albertine in Five Times is a play by Michel Tremblay. First produced by the National Arts Centre in 1984, it has gone on to become one of Tremblay’s most widely produced plays in both its original French and translated English versions.
The play centres on Albertine, who appeared as a minor or supporting character in several of Tremblay’s other works. In the play, the 70-year-old Albertine interacts with her younger selves at the ages of 30, 40, 50 and 60, dramatizing her interior monologue as she reflects on her life after moving into a retirement home. Apart from the five Albertines, the only other character who appears in the play is her sister Madeleine.
Jan Chadburn – Albertine at 70
Shelly Janze – Albertine at 60
Terry Ford – Albertine at 50
Justine Jones – Albertine at 40
Ally Rafter – Albertine at 30
Lisa Greene – Madeline
Mahara Sinclaire – Director
Mahara Sinclaire – Director
DIRECTOR’S NOTE
I was born in Montreal at the tail end of the Duplessis era on the wings of Lesage’s Quiet Revolution. An era that would herald a change within the Catholic church, and the policies of government giving rise to the FLQ, and opening to the world with Expo ‘67. It was these formative years that imprinted a deep sense of justice, equality, and humanity on the woman I am today.
Tremblay came up in the Plateau district of Mont Royal, streets I would walk as a teenager soaking up the influences of Mordecai Richler and Leonard Cohen, and Tremblay’s women who bore the brunt of English oppression under the thumb of Church and State. One cannot approach a Tremblay play without a deep consideration of a foundation built upon the deeply political, and how it impacted the women he wrote about and their struggle for autonomy and respect. Through his themes of unresolved loss and old family conflicts he presents a woman caged, and shows us the fate of a woman who was born at a time when being a wife and mother was almost the only career path.
In Tremblay’s poignant memory play memories aren’t linear, and bounce around in Albertine at 70’s head. Without one single narrative voice the authority shifts between the Albertines, giving the character’s life depth, and revealing contradictions. Like anyone else Albertine is simply trying to make sense of her life and find happiness through it all.
Working with this group of women has been an absolute honour. Their openness to the vast amount of notes and research I regularly left in their inboxes (sorry!), and their commitment to inhabit the truth of Albertine has left an indelible mark on my heart.
Bonne journée!
Shelley Janze – Albertine at 60
Terry Ford – Albertine at 50
I just found my diary from my 14 year old self who loved theatre so much she “hoped she could be on stage forever.” This was a nice plan and worked out well until my 30 and 40 year old self settled into married life and motherhood moving from San Francisco to Winnipeg, to Calgary, to Hamilton, to Regina, before landing in Cloverdale. We hit the pause button on acting until my 50 year old self discovered the time to perform in local theatre. This self has been busy re-introducing my love of theatre to me, performing with Sidekick Players and the Royal Canadian Theatre Company. I am grateful for all these selves, and I am intrigued with what they will say if they meet each other in 20 years. I am grateful for this opportunity to share Albertine in all her selves with a really incredible group of women.
Ally Rafter – Albertine at 30
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14600 North Bluff Road
White Rock BC
V4B 3C9
(right beside Centennial Arena)
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