SummerWorks Performance Festival has several interesting offerings for us this year. With its theme being that of ‘Survival Mode,’ the festival is inviting us to start conversations and be in community.
Rougarou, a new horror-themed play by Damion LeClair, will take part in SummerWorks Lab. This program is a place for exploration, experimentation, and process, where new work is incubated or shared at crucial stages of development.
In this hybrid staged play reading, based on the Métis legend that originated on Turtle Island centuries ago, ‘Rougarou’ serves as an allegory for every MMIWG2S that has gone missing in this country.
The play follows a character named Renee, who has never stopped looking for a sister who went missing and was possibly murdered along a highway in British Columbia. As Renee (played by Métis actor Lynny Jeanne-Marie Bonin) searches for her sister, she ends up being stalked by Rougarou herself.
Writer and director Damion LeClair and I spoke about this piece. They explained the process of writing the pay, the need for audience feedback, and the story’s continuing evolution.
Rougarou will be showing at Aki Studio on August 3-4. For scheduling information and tickets, please visit SummerWorks.ca.
