Q&A: Yours Forever, Marie-Lou

Patricia Marceau in Yours Forever, Marie-Lou. Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann.

It's hard to believe this is the first time Soulpepper has produced the work of Michel Tremblay, one of Canada's best-known writers for the stage. This season, the company presents a new version of his 1970 play Yours Forever, Marie Lou, directed by Diana Leblanc with a fresh translation by Linda Gaboriau. Forever Yours, Marie-Lou is a raw exploration of a fractured family, in which each member grapples with their cultural and sexual identities.

Here, we chat with Patricia Marceau, who plays the title character, about working with Leblanc and her innate connection to the material.

Theatromania: Tell us about Soulpepper’s Yours Forever, Marie-Lou. How would you describe this production in a few sentences?

PM: Yours Forever, Marie-Lou is an intense account of a family tragedy that took place in 1961 and is recounted by the two daughters of the family 10 years later in 1971. Marie-Lou and Leopold are a typical lower working class couple at the end of an era, what was called in French “La grande noirceur”, The Great Darkness which took place in the years after the war, 1944-1960. It was a period of time in the province of Québec when politics and the Catholic religion had a hold on society in the worst possible way. Women were basically baby making machines at home and husbands were the sole bread winners. The world was starting to change around them and Québec was stuck in the past. We follow Carmen and Manon in 1971 each discussing their versions of the account of what happened on the fateful Saturday 10 years ago, as we listen in on Marie-Lou and Leopold’s conversation on that very morning in 1961. Tremblay was inspired to write the play after seeing a Brahms Quartet in NYC. He went back to his hotel room and started writing. Eleven days later he was finished. So the play is very much a quartet, with two conversations, in two different decades, happening at once.

Theatromania: You play the main character, Marie-Lou. How did you prepare for this role and can you relate to her at all?

PM: Up until fairly recently I had never worked on Tremblay which is kind of unlikely for a French Canadian actress 25 years into her acting career. But that all changed a few years back. In 2011, I assisted Diana Leblanc in À toi pour toujours, ta Marie-Lou at the Théâtre français de Toronto. I saw those actors tackle this very difficult play. My main role as assistant-director during rehearsals was being on book with the actors (navigating the text alone is a great challenge).

Before the rehearsal period started, Diana had asked me to put together some research about Tremblay, the play, the themes it tackled and the period in which it took place. I spend weeks researching and compiling a “bible” of a few hundred pages of articles, interviews, etc.… Little did I know, I would use and need that research more than once in the very near future. The following year I played the role of Albertine à 50 ans in Albertine en cinq temps at Théâtre Français de Toronto and in Ottawa. Two years later I was offered the role of Victoire, the mother of Albertine in Le Passé Antérieur. That play was also directed by Diana Leblanc, it was my first time working with her as an actor. So I certainly had some history with Tremblay and his “mothers” by the time I got the offer for Marie-Lou. It felt like I knew her already and I can certainly relate to her. I don’t have to look far into my own family to find her; she is my aunt and my grandmother. And as a French Canadian woman she is all around me.

Theatromania: Michel Tremblay wrote this play in 1970. How does Linda Gaboriau’s translation modernize the language of the play?

PM: There has been no need to modernize the play. While it is somewhat a period piece, the language is still very relatable. The biggest challenge is the French language of Québec, a very specific vernacular that is almost impossible to translate as times. With it’s very raw nature ensconced in the Catholic religion. How do you translate that? You simply have to adapt it. And Linda did that very well. We, the actors and Diana, worked with her for a couple of days a few weeks before the beginning of rehearsal and she was very open to the few questions and suggestions we had. It was already a very agile translation by the time we read it for the first time. Only a few minor changes were made after those two days. It was a great honour and a treat to meet her and to be able to share our thoughts on her and Tremblay’s work with her. She also knows Michel Tremblay very well so she had a lot of valuable information for us. I also know that Linda and Diana had done quite a bit of talking since the beginning of the project.

Theatromania: What have you learned so far from working with Diana Leblanc?

PM: From what I can tell, Diana picks actors she trusts and believes are the perfect match for the role. I’ve heard a few times now that casting is 90% of directing. And while you may argue with the percentage, I have to agree with the premise. Once the right person is in the room, the work becomes that much easier. Diana is an actress herself and I believe a very intuitive one. She works the same way as a director. She doesn't get in the way much. She doesn’t overwhelm you. She gives a few notes that bring precision to your work. I felt she had my back the whole time and she listens to you, your insecurities, your questions, your thoughts. And will give you what you need when you ask for it. Diana is a no-nonsense woman in life and in the rehearsal hall. I must say I appreciate that very much. So, to answer your question, what I’ve learned from Diana is to trust myself. She gave me that permission. And I took it. Also, I’ve learned that less is more. While I already knew that and was already a fervent believer it just solidified it. Trust yourself, trust the author, trust the work. And listen, always listen.

Your Forever, Marie Lou runs until October 17 at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts. Visit soulpepper.ca for more information and to buy tickets.