Six exceptional actresses and a bewitching dancer, explore the world and words of Nelly Arcan, a gifted writer imprisoned by an image of perfection, tortured by her gender. Directed by Marie Brassard, this sophisticated work portrays expressions of obsession, anguish and hope in an ambitious theatrical collage of texts that at times are transposed into songs. A haunting scrutiny of Arcan’s striking, abyssal suffering.
Displayed in rooms exposed to public view are women struggling with various traumas, from dejected existences to palpable hypersensitivities constrained by idealized beauty concepts. The Fury of My Thoughts is a reassuring tribute to the cosmos of a skillful young writer who died far too soon while in search of light, and of something larger than ourselves.
Marie Brassard is a Canadian actress, author and director who initially became known to the international audience as an artistic associate to Robert Lepage, with whom she has co-authored numerous plays. In 2001 Brassard staged her first solo production, and soon founded Infrarouge, her own company, becoming known for shows with a dreamlike quality, a merging of creative expression that became Brassard’s trade mark, lending her a singular voice that is utterly praised around the performing arts world.
Original Text: Nelly Arcan
Adaptation and Direction: Marie Brassard
Original Idea and Development: Sophie Cadieux
Dramaturgy and Adaptation Assistance: Daniel Canty
Cast: Christine Beaulieu, Sophie Cadieux, Laurence Dauphinais, Johanne Haberlin, Marie Laurence Moreau, Ève Pressault and Anne Thériault
Approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes, without interval
Performed in French, with surtitles in Chinese and English
Restricted to audiences aged 16 or above (contains adult content)
Post-show talk on 31 May
The Fury of My Thoughts is a collage of texts taken from Putain (2001) and Folle (2004) by Nelly Arcan, published by Editions Seuil, as well as L’enfant dans le miroir, published by Marchand de Feuille, later included in Burqua de chair (2011), published by Editions du Seuil.