In Michel(le), Théâtre la Seizième celebrates a colourful character gone too soon
Play by veteran Vancouver actor Joey Lespérance is a tribute to his late sibling
Joey Lespérance.
Théâtre la Seizième presents Michel(le) at Studio 16 from May 29 to June 8, in French with English surtitles except on May 31
GROWING UP IN a Montreal suburb in the 1960s and early ’70s, Joey Lespérance and his late brother routinely put on shows for their family and friends in their backyard. Even in their earliest days, they both dreamed of working in theatre. Lespérance went on to forge a career as an actor; his sibling, who died in 2005, never had the chance. But Lespérance’s brother, Michel, did have a successful run as a drag artist for a while, transitioning to Michelle, then detransitioning back to being a man. With his new autobiographical solo show, Michel(le), Lespérance says he is helping his beloved sibling achieve his goal.
“My sibling was my brother and then she became my sister and then became my brother again,” Lespérance says in a phone interview. “Michel(le) had a very tragic death, which propelled me to tell his story.
“As I was working on the script, I realized this was not just Michel(le)’s story; it was the story of Michel(le) and I as two queer children growing up in a heteronormative world, and the constant fight that came with that,” says the veteran Vancouver actor. “But, furthermore, it also made me remember that we both had the same dream. We both wanted to become actors. After Michel(le)’s death, I found a document in which Michel(le) said, ‘My dream is to become a theatre artist.’ Then I thought, ‘You will be a theatre artist. I’m going to write a play and you’re going to get to live your dreams.’”
Michel(le) will have its Vancouver premiere when it runs at Théâtre la Seizième. Lespérance sees the show as an act of reparation.
“I get to be on-stage as a proud queer man and explain a life that unfortunately didn’t make it to being a proud queer person but also a proud theatre artist. Michel(le) was a successful drag artist but his vision was much greater.
“We were constantly putting on shows when we were growing up,” Lespérance says, before adding with a laugh: “Michel(le) was maybe better than me. He was doing drag numbers when we were children. He had the backyard filled with people who would come and watch his little shows and then I would do my performances, but Michel(le) was the star.”
Lespérance has worked as an actor for more than 30 years since graduating from Studio 58. He has earned several Jessie Richardson Theatre Award nominations, winning the best actor honour in 2015 for his role in À toi, pour toujours, ta Marie-Lou by Michel Tremblay (Théâtre la Seizième). He has also appeared in the Arts Club’s ME LOVE BINGO!: Best in Snow, ITSAZOO Productions’s The Café, A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Bard on The Beach, and Holiday at the Elbow Room Café by ZeeZee Theatre, among many other works.
Lespérance says his sibling’s story is one that has been unheard of on stages. He has seen a lot of plays during his three decades in the sector, and he notes it’s unusual to hear of a person’s transition then detransition.
“That’s quite a bit of meat there,” Lespérance says. “Michel(le) had a very colourful life, and his death, unfortunately, was as dramatic as his whole existence. So for me, I thought, ‘I’ve got something here for both of us, for me as a theatre artist to exercise my muscles as a writer, but also for Michel(le), that their story won’t be forgotten.’
“The only time I ever saw Michel(le) happy it was when I met my sister,” he adds. “For me, it was very important that that the play celebrated this life. We survived a world that didn’t want us. I pulled through and in this production and this show, and I extend my hand to my sibling and I go, ‘You too, you’re going to make it with me.’”
Directed by Esther Duquette, Michel(le) marks a departure for Lespérance; it’s the first time he has written a solo show. It likely won’t be the last.
“I knew when I found that document that I was going to write a play—I knew instantly,” he says. “I am the creator behind this piece and I get to speak my language, my voice, my words, what I have to say. I’ve always played other people’s words, and now I’m speaking my words and my heart, and I realized I have something to say. Theatre is also my language. I’m living my dreams; this is what I’ve always wanted to do and I get to do this. For me, theatre is permission; for me, theatre is transcendent; for me, theatre is miraculous,” he adds. “I wrote this play and I’m making my sibling live their dreams. You can’t make this shit up.”
Lespérance notes that his brother’s tragic death was the most challenging episode of his life. “It also ignited my queer voice as a theatre artist,” he says. “I’m forever grateful to tell Michel(le)’s story.
“Michel(le)’s complexity and tragic and dramatic life is, in my opinion, the perfect ingredient for a dramatic play, and at the same time these lives and many other lives could be easily forgotten,” he adds. “So that’s also one of the great things about theatre—all of a sudden we can focus on a life and explode its content, then show it to an audience. Here’s a life that will not be forgotten, and here’s a life that’s worthy of celebration.” 
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