BOUNDARIES 2002-03 at the Traverse highlights the big players in international theatre.

In 2002 the Traverse Theatre linked with renowned playwrights’ organisation CEAD (le Centre des auteurs dramatiques), Montréal, to forge a year-long playwrights’ exchange between writers from Québec and Scotland.

Two Scottish writers have had their plays translated for Québec: Isabel Wright’s current commission for the Traverse, Mr Placebo, was translated by François Archambault and read at the Carrefour international de théâtre festival in Québec City in May 2002. Gregory Burke’s Gagarin Way will be translated by Yvan Bienvenue, as part of CEAD’s autumn residency in Montréal, and given a public playreading at Montréal’s Théâtre La Licorne in October 2002.

And three leading Québécois playwrights have had their work translated in residency by British playwrights and translators. The Traverse is delighted to culminate the project this autumn by showing the fruit of the year’s work from Québec over three nights:

15 Secs by François Archambault
(Scots-English version by Isabel Wright)
(directed by Roxana Silbert)
François Archambault has over 12 produced plays to his credit. This is the Traverse’s latest Playwrights in Partnership commission, linking François & Isabel Wright (Associate Playwright at the Traverse) for this new version. 15 Secondes was originally written for Dave Richer, a Québécois actor with cerebral palsy. It first played to great acclaim at Montréal Just for Laughs festival and was subsequently revived in Canada in both French and English. It was also awarded the prestigious writers’ Prix du Gouverneur général du Canada.

Please note that each of the Boundaries 2 readings will be followed by an Encounters discussion where there will be an opportunity to discuss with the project with the artistic team.