About Sinking Neptune
Sinking Neptune is a radical deconstruction of the “first play” ever written in the so-called “New World”, Marc Lescarbot’s ultra-racist Theatre of Neptune in New France. It is also a verbatim theatre exposé of people in the arts community, journalists, politicians, bloggers and others in the public eye that, sometimes unknowingly, promote a colonialist agenda. Ignorant of or apathetic to the cultural genocide wrought on aboriginal peoples by works like Lescarbot’s play, and neo-colonialist celebrations.
Sinking Neptune is a work in progress, and we are about to move into Stage 3. Thusfar, the project has challenged major Eurocentric “comemorations” during its first two stages.
STAGE 1: June 2005 – November 2006
This stage centered around a planned (and subsequently cancelled) “re-enactment” of Lescarbot’s play for it’s 400th anniversary.
Performances began in Montreal at the Anarchist Theatre Festival and the Montreal infringement Festival, followed by a run that started at Les artistes du Toc Toc in Montreal and culminated in performances at The Bus Stop Theatre in Halifax. The crucial “400th anniversary” performance occured on November 14th, 2006, at King’s Theatre in Annapolis Royal.
Though most audiences were supportive, controversy erupted at the talkback session at King’s Theatre following the “anniversary” performance. Audience members included local actors who had insisted on staging a “reading” of the play prior to our arrival, and a major argument erupted regarding Canadian Theatre, Eurocentricity, and Cultural Genocide. Some of the controversy was covered by various forms of media.
(read our Nova Scotia play text – PDF) (click here for some of the media controversy)
STAGE 2: December 2007 – July 2008
In this stage, we adapted the play to challenge another colonial celebration, the 400e anniversaire de Québec, and exposed Samuel de Champlain’s involvement with the racist Theatre of Neptune in New France.
Sinking Neptune was performed twice at McGill University in Montreal, once at CEGEP Montmorency, at the University of Guelph on the invitation of professor Alan Filewod and as part of the Montreal infringement Festival.
This stage concluded on July 3rd, the official birthday of Quebec City, with a day of guerilla theatre culture-jamming and a performance at L’Agitée, an activist co-op performance venue in the bas ville.
STAGE 3: ???
