Les Waitress sont tristes
As a country ballad plays, Morrison the cowboy heads off to seek adventure, with his guitar and his faithful friend Ti Mousse by his side. Stopping in at a bar, he finds himself surrounded by beer-slinging waitresses and line dancing. Life is good!
But behind this façade is the reality of a lonely artist : Michael, dreaming of the life of a drifter, has invented a cowboy alter ego to escape the sadness of his days. Ti Mousse is in fact a mechanical cat, and their adventure is a walk on a treadmill.
Les waitress sont tristes is JOE JACK ET JOHN’s second production conceived and directed by a neurodivergent artist. Michael Nimbley, artist-in-residence since 2018 and a regular performer with the company (Mimi, Just fake it, AVALe, Abîmés), has created a wry, contemporary Western that examines and re-examines—the isolation shaping its characters.
At the junction of theatre, dance, and performance, this engaging show invites you to reflect on the nature of the creative process as it explores the concepts of authorship and artistic expression.
Presented from September 16 to October 1, 2022, at Espace Libre.
Photos : Vivien Gaumand
Original Concept / Writer / Co-Director Michael Nimbley
Co-Director and Creative Ally Catherine Bourgeois
Performers / Devisers Anna Atkinson, Maryline Chery, Guillermina Kerwin, Michael Nimbley, Natacha Thompson, Anne Tremblay
Contributing Writer Pénélope Bourque
Costume Designer / Set Designer Amy Keith
Sound Designer Andréa Marsolais-Roy
Lighting Designers Audrey-Anne Bouchard and Flavie Lemée
Musical Director Anna Atkinson
Quebec Sign Language (LSQ) Translator / Interpreter Natacha
Thompson
Assistant Costume Designer Louise Pimprenelle Nicolas
Technical Director / Stage Manager Audrey Belzile
Rehearsal Coach / Assistant Stage Manager Aude Lachapelle
Audio Description Claudette Lemay and Connec-T
Quebec Sign Language (LSQ)
Consultants Marie-Pierre Petit and Jennifer Manning
Contributing Devisers Stephanie Boghen, Tamara Brown, Angie Cheng
ACESSIBILITY FOR DEAF PATRONS
All performances of Les Waitress sont tristes include an actor who partially interprets the work in Quebec Sign Language (LSQ). Parts of the work not performed in Quebec Sign Language will be subtitled in French.
RELAXED PERFORMANCES
The performances on Friday, September 23, at 8 p.m. and Saturday, September 24, at 4 p.m. are relaxed performances. This expression refers to performances that are open to all, and can appeal specifically to people who have a sensory or intellectual disability, a neurological or learning disability, and to people with newborns or special needs. The sound and visual ambience of the show as well as the reception are adapted to create a calm and inclusive environment.
ACESSIBILITY
FOR BLIND AND LOW-VISION PATRONS
The performances on Wednesday, September 28, at 7 p.m. and Thursday, September 29, at 8 p.m. will feature optional audio description, in which visual elements of the work are verbally described for the benefit of patrons who are blind or have low vision.
A smartphone and headphones/earbuds are required in order to use the audio description service during the performance.
Download the Sennheiser MobileConnect app before you arrive at the theatre.
If you do not have a smartphone or headphones/earbuds, please ask the box office staff for assistance.
Blind and low-vision patrons are invited to a touch tour of the set one hour before the start of the two audio-described performances.
Espace Libre accepts the Companion Leisure Card (CAL), which grants free admission to a person accompanying a spectator with a disability.
If you are blind or have low vision and will
not be accompanied at the performance, please speak with the box office staff. They will arrange for a volunteer escort who can help you navigate within the theatre and on a touch tour.
ACCESSIBILITY FOR PATRONS WHO ARE HARD OF HEARING
Enhanced hearing assistance will be available at the performances of Tuesday, September 27, at 7 p.m., Wednesday, September 28, at 7 p.m., and Thursday, September 29, at 8 p.m. A volunteer will be present at each of these performances to help any interested patrons install on their smartphones an application that further amplifies the production sound.
A smartphone and headphones/earbuds are required in order to use the audio support service during the performance.
Download the Sennheiser MobileConnect app before you arrive at the theatre.
If you do not have a smartphone or headphones/earbuds, please ask the box office staff for assistance.
