Le Théâtre d'la Piquine
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Established in 1995 with the production of two comedic plays "La Chuisine a Zabeth" and "The Electric Fence". The theatre group began as a dinner theatre playing in a local restaurant in Church Point, and made it to the stage of the Salle Marc Lescarbot Theatre on the campus of Saint Anne's University. Through music, dance, and comedy, the characters in the groups many plays have captured the hearts of people throughout the Clare area, not to mention in other parts of the province like Chéticamp, Cape Breton where the troupe has played.
The year 1998 marked the beginning of a series, a trilogy, set in the 30's and featuring "Zabeth" the middle-aged Acadian woman with nine children and "Cazimir" Zabeth's excitable husband who from aging has lost his hearing as well as most of his patience and logic. This collection of plays made an impression on many audiences whom through all the slapstick and wisecracks, caught a glimpse of what life was like for Clare Acadians in the 30's. Needless to say "Zabeth" and "Cazimir" have become household names around Clare.
In 2000, the group presented the play "Trois Gabriels pour Évangéline" or "Three Gabriels for Evangeline". This comedy offers a twist to the ending of the epic poem "Évangéline" with Évangéline having grown older and found her Gabriel, and another Gabriel, and yet another. Évangéline must figure out who is her true Gabriel and the audience is taken along for the ride! The play was very well received by the public and new actors were brought onto the stage for this performance.
The Woman Behind the Scenes:
Born and raised in a Cape Breton town her marriage to a Robichaud brought her to the Acadian Shore years ago, and we're not giving her back! Marie-Colombe Robichaud wears many hats during the planning, preparation, and presentation of the shows. Being the author of most of the plays is one of her duties but it's a little more difficult than usual as she writes all of her plays in Acadian French keeping in mind the phonetics of this centuries-old dialect.
Through her writing and spirit she has awakened cultural pride in Acadians from one end of the province to another with Le Théâtre d'la Piquine and she continues to write so be sure to keep an eye out for future productions! Although none are planned for the 2002 summer season more productions of the various plays are foreseen.
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