Stephanie
Morin-Robert, a Montreal-based dancer, actor, producer and Fringe Festival
veteran, has spent the past several months on the West Coast rehearsing and
fine-tuning some shows that she plans to perform in the near future. One of
them is “Blindside”, an autobiographical solo show that is making a return
engagement to Montreal from March 17-19 at the Theatre Sainte-Catherine,
located at 264 St. Catherine Street East.
The show, which was
first performed more than two years ago at the MainLine Theatre, deals with
Stephanie’s ordeal of battling cancer, which cost her an eye and forced her to
wear a prosthetic glass eye, and how she struggled with relentless bullying in
school as a result; as well, it shows how she overcame it and developed a sense
of self-confidence, while she came to terms with her disability.
In a recent phone
interview from an artists’ retreat in Bellingham, Washington, Stephanie said
that the show’s origins came from the stories she shared about her struggles
with her disability during a series of Confabulation storytelling sessions in
Montreal. She hammered out a script for the show from these oral stories and
first performed them as a straight solo stage show.
“The new version of
‘Blindside’ that I’m bringing to Montreal is no longer just me onstage reciting
text,” she said. “There will be a camera and a projection screen where I will
look into the camera and tell my story, which will give the audience a better
sense of intimacy, as well as some elements of physical comedy, theatre,
puppetry and even some stand-up comedy.”
While buoyed by the
positive response this new version of “Blindside” has garnered for her (“Many
audience members thought it was a vulnerable production filled with generosity,
and told me they laughed until they cried … and cried until they laughed,” she
admitted), Stephanie plans to take this show on a summer-long tour across
Canada – which means she will sacrifice her jobs working the administrative
side of both the Montreal Fringe and Just For Laughs festivals – and then take
the show on a school tour to help increase awareness with students about
bullying, bullying prevention and how to live with a disability.
“By sharing my
personal experiences with students, it’s the best way to help people out who
are undergoing similar experiences; it’s a huge empowering boost for them,” she
said.
Showtime for next
weekend’s Montreal engagement of “Blindside” is at 7 p.m., with a matinee at 1
p.m. on March 19. Tickets cost $15 each, and can be purchased at the door, by
calling 514-284-3939, or online at www.theatresaintecatherine.com.
(This piece originally appeared in my column in the March 12, 2016 edition of the Montreal Times)
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