Words from the Directors

The magic of theatre performances can sometimes be found, quite simply, in the haziness that surrounds the boundaries between dreams and reality. In The Tempest, Shakespeare decided to concentrate on that grey zone, to make it his theme, and to create a universe in which the certainties disappear, the eternal becomes ephemeral, and human nature is revealed from the inside.

The play is unsettlingly relevant today and it resonates with us. Prospero abandoned power in favour of knowledge, and his search for life’s essential truths caused him to lose everything, isolating him from the rest of the world. Knowledge of that kind is no more valued now; we are propelled to merely absorb instead of thinking and analyzing. Are we not all confined to our four walls, where our windows on the world are screens projecting predigested images? After all, we are created from “the stuff that dreams are made on” - but what became of those dreams? Are we still able to distinguish between our own dreams and those of others, between one reality and another?

Prospero created his own universe, dictating the rules and moving the pawns to please himself. He tried to avenge his past, and in doing so, moved on and realized that forgiveness was the only option opened to him. His books allowed him to visualize an ideal society, a just and peaceful utopia, a world that can only exist if the ghosts return to their place of origin and if reconciliation is accompanied by hope, tolerance, and humanity. The world can keep turning at its frenetic pace, but certain human beings are able to transcend it, to exist in a quiet place and very much in the moment, far from the inevitable race towards war, fear, selfishness, and power. This is undoubtedly an important message in The Tempest, a message that touched us deeply. Everything is vanishing – the only goal to which we can aspire is to become better human beings.

This adventure has given us the opportunity to meet some wonderful individuals. Lorraine Pintal (Artistic Director of the TNM), with her spirited enthusiasm, believed in our mission and supported us without reserve. We hope that we have been able to realize her dream. The actors demonstrated incomparable patience and fearlessness without which the pure folly of this project would have defeated us. We owe them our heartfelt thanks. Although six hands signed the production, hundreds have worked on it. This team of people allowed us to live in the moment and to throw ourselves head first into a tempest that, like our lives and like the theatre, is perhaps nothing but a long daydream.

Michel Lemieux, Victor Pilon and Denise Guilbault