Guy Régis Jr. tells stories of migration through opera-theatre in L’amour telle une cathédrale ensevelie, February 3 and 4
Through chorus song, live guitar, and more, Haitian director’s Creole-French production navigates experiences of uprooted families, care of Théâtre la Seizième, PuSh Festival, and SFU Woodward’s Cultural Programs
L’amour telle une cathédrale ensevelie. Photo by Christophe Péan
Théâtre la Seizième, PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, and SFU Woodward’s Cultural Programs copresent L’amour telle une cathédrale ensevelie at SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts on February 3 at 7:30 pm followed by a post-show talkback, and February 4 at 2 pm
AUTHOR-DIRECTOR GUY RÉGIS JR. was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti in April 1974 to a family that, like thousands of others, came face-to-face with dislocation. In L’amour telle une cathédrale ensevelie from his company NOUS Théâtre, the artist explores the tumultuous nature of this uprooting with a profound opera-theatre performance.
The scene is set in two places an ocean apart. In Montreal, Quebec, a couple argues incessantly. Emotions run high as they fail to heed each other’s advice. In Haiti, families find themselves aboard rickety boats in search of new lands and new futures. Throughout the play, the storyline bounces from place to place—Haiti to Canada, Senegal to France—over a 60-year period of different narratives.
L’amour telle une cathédrale ensevelie, which translates to Love Like a Buried Cathedral, delivers unmatched lyricism at each turn. In Creole and French, an operatic chorus sings of migration and its aftermath, as men, women, and children set sail on dangerous voyages, some never making it out. Haitian classical guitarist Amos Coulanges provides instrumentals for the story as a close examination of politics, human rights, social injustices, and discrimination unfurls.
Théâtre la Seizième is presenting Régis Jr.’s work at SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts as part of this year’s PuSh International Performing Arts Festival—the first time it will be shown in Canada. Folks who speak French can listen to a PuSh Play podcast conversation between Régis Jr. and Cory Haas, artistic director of Théâtre la Seizième, to learn more about the show ahead of its run. The pair chat about everything from how Régis Jr. transforms an idea into a material work, to what his writing process is like.
At one point in the podcast, the artist remarks that in some ways, L’amour telle une cathédrale ensevelie was made to be shown to Canadian audiences, explaining that in his observation, this country—Montreal in particular—is home to one of the largest Haitian diasporas in the world. According to Statistics Canada’s 2021 census, over 150,000 people in the province are of Haitian descent. It’s a natural gravitation, since more than 40 per cent of Haitians already speak French.
Régis Jr. founded NOUS Théâtre in Haiti in 2001 with the goal of bringing theatre to the people in light of the country’s social, political, and economic situation. By 2009, he opened a branch of the company in France, allowing its works to be produced on an international scale.
More details about L’amour telle une cathédrale ensevelie are at Théâtre la Seizième, and tickets can be purchased via the PuSh Festival.
L’amour telle une cathédrale ensevelie. Photo by Christophe Péan
Related Articles
