Eleven artists—girls and women aged between 5 and 72—meet in a flooded theatre. Each of them seems to carry a secret knowledge, a bundle of stories to be whispered. They are at once beginnings, desires and powers. Their clothing and luggage reveal a few clues as to their backgrounds, but their mystery remains as opaque as the murky water in which they fish and contemplate themselves. In their sometimes playful, sometimes strange metamorphoses, they celebrate lightness, secrecy and irreverence.
As in their show La chambre des enfants, the company imagines a “girls’ and women’s room” in which moments of affection, transmission, violence and, above all, humour mingle. The creators weave a makeshift community to investigate notions of mutual aid, female solidarity, and even rivalry, through exploratory performances and improvised discussions. A unique opportunity to discover L’eau du bain’s signature approach, where the stage becomes the birthplace of an unrestrained universe.
Founded by Nancy Bussières, Anne-Marie Ouellet and Thomas Sinou.
Whether on a frozen lake or in a long-term care facility, L’eau du bain travels to create, venturing outside the black box to explore new landscapes and characters.
Based in Chelsea in the Outaouais region, the company takes its raw material from reality and shapes it into enveloping universes in which fictional plots emerge and vanish. L’eau du bain’s installations and stage works enlist a theatrical and digital language in which sound and light are designed to connect with the inner self of the spectator, whether adult or child. With each creation, new rules of play are drawn up and new machines are invented.
Working with and for communities is central to L’eau du bain’s approach, shaping it from within. The company’s artists work with people of all ages and from all walks of life, embracing differences and breaking out of familiar territory. The experiences offered by L’eau du bain are more sensory than narrative, making them highly accessible.
The National Creation Fund’s investment of $130,000 enables six weeks of residencies during which the company will explore the use of water as a luminous, sonorous and poetic material, and its relation to the lighting, sound and costume design. The Fund’s investment will also support the development of an environmentally sustainable scenography and costumes, increase the amount of rehearsal time, and strengthen the production team that is supporting this technically ambitious work.
Production and distribution partner: Espace GO
Production partners: University of Ottawa Theatre Department, École supérieure de théâtre, Hexagram–UQAM
Distribution partner: National Arts Centre French Theatre
Funding partners: Canada Council for the Arts, Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, University of Ottawa Faculty of Arts
Developed with support from the National Arts Centre’s National Creation Fund.
