Justin Quesnelle, BA’03, Poetic and Dramatic Literature
Co-founded of London's Passionfool Theatre Group
Theatre that Challenges Audiences
Justin Quesnelle
Passionfool, the brainchild of Western alumnus Justin Quesnelle, BA’03 (Poetic and Dramatic Literature) and Eva Blahut, has revolutionized the local theatre scene, and won critical acclaim for its productions. It has earned a reputation for presenting theatre that is both intellectually and ethically challenging, leaving its audience members grappling with questions long after the actors have taken their bows.
“We believe theatre should provoke emotion, debate and, most importantly, thought,” Quesnelle said. “And we feel that theatre has the capacity to provoke like no other art form. Why? Because theatre is immediate. It unfolds in the living present, captured not by the lens of a camera or the pen of a poet, but on the mind’s eye of actor and audience.”
The latest Passionfool production will be staged in November, when Peter Weiss’ Marat/ Sade comes to life at The Arts Project (TAP). The play-within-a-play depicts the assassination of Jean Paul Marat, one of the intellectuals behind the French Revolution. What makes it intriguing is its staging by the Marquis de Sade, while he is incarcerated at the Charenton Asylum. The characters include a host of inmates, from cripples to a narcoleptic. It is a bloody depiction of human suffering which asks whether true revolution comes from changing society or changing oneself.
Marat/Sade is an ambitious undertaking, with a cast of 20+ actors. It also marks the first time that Passionfool has mounted a musical. But Blahut and Quesnelle, who will direct this production, do not shy away from challenges. On the contrary, they welcome them.
“We wanted something big,” Blahut said. “It’s filled with wonder and joy, as well as misery and cruelty. When it was first produced in 1964 it broke a lot of ground and did a lot for modern theatre, as the line between actors and
udience is blurred. I think it’s going to be an exciting production.”
The two thespians first met in 2005, when they were cast as husband and wife in Fountainhead Theatre’s production of Angels in America. “We had a great time. We gelled quickly. We knew we had a similar sense of humour, so it was easy to be friends,” Blahut recalled. “We also realized we had similar philosophies about theatre. A year later we started talking about building a theatre company together.”
The partnership took root, united by their similar approaches yet strengthened by their differences. Quesnelle brings to the table the knowledge of an academic, while Blahut offers her visceral training in movement and dance. “Justin’s understanding of text is outstanding,” Blahut said.
They recognized that London was a tremendous breeding ground for original works, but that small, independent theatres were not producing the classical and contemporary canon, with the exception of Fountainhead and London Community Players.
Inspired by Othello, they named their company Passionfool, a nod to the way in which the lead character is ‘played’ by Iago. Their goals were to showcase the evolution of Western works, from the Greeks and Shakespeare all the way to contemporary playwrights like Harold Pinter, Tom Stoppard and Michel Tremblay. “We wanted to find a way to make the classics edgy, understandable and relatable,” Blahut said.
And they have, as evidenced by the successful run earlier this year of Euripides’ Medea, which featured Blahut in the title role. Quesnelle directed and designed the show, opting for a theatre-in-the round configuration that minimized audience numbers yet maximized the intimacy of the space.
The result was a unique experience for those 44 people seated each time in the TAP theatre. “We considered the audience an extension of the Greek chorus. They could look across the space at other audience members. The responses of the audience members were as immediate and evident as those of the actors,” Blahut said.
Quesnelle, known for his minimalist storytelling style, likens his role to that of a facilitator, who both guides and challenges his actors. His skill as a director, he said, was fostered when he took a fourth-year Creative Writing intensive with Professor Emeritus Larry Garber in the Department of English at Western.
“Truth be told I’m not much of a writer. But those sessions made me realize how much I enjoy text analysis and mining writt en works for inner truths. Th e aspects of directing that I enjoy the most were nurtured in those sessions.”
And Medea set out, like most Passionfool productions, to challenge people’s perceptions and leave them examining characters in shades of gray.
“On the surface, Medea is a child murderer, and it’s a horrific idea to entertain, but what happens if we try to give her an honest life as a real human being? What motivations do we discover? Th ese are not always happy places to go to, but the pay-off as artists, and the pay-off for the audience is more than what you would get with the fl uff you see in some summer theatres,” Blahut said.
Passionfool’s most recent award came at this summer’s London Fringe Festival, where Quesnelle won Best Solo Performance for his portrayal of 10 characters in Daniel MacIvor’s Monster. The acclaimed Canadian playwright does not typically grant rights to amateur companies to perform Monster (a dark comedy about the nature of evil), but he made an exception for Passionfool, after Quesnelle and Blahut argued the merits of their production in a written essay.
“Monster is a powerful and provocative piece,” Quesnelle said. “It’s a play that poses more questions than it answers and sticks with you like a scar. And it was by far the most challenging role(s) I’ve yet to tackle as an actor.”
They were already familiar with MacIvor’s work, having previously staged Never Swim Alone, a thriller about two men locked in a deadly competition. Like Monster, Blahut directed and Quesnelle starred in the piece. Their production earned a Brickenden Award for Outstanding Production, and won similar kudos at the 2009 London Fringe Festival.
That same year, Passionfool became the resident theatre company of The Arts Project, affording them a permanent home complete with office and rehearsal space. It also benefitted the local arts organization. “Our focus is gallery, theatre and studios, so having a resident theatre company fits with what we’re doing,” manager Sandra DeSalvo said. “It’s nice piece to the puzzle, and they’re serious theatre performers.”
The future continues to look bright for Passionfool, with its 14th production underway this fall. The 2011 season is yet to be determined, but as always it will strive for excellence and showcase at least one Canadian playwright.
And Quesnelle is considering a Fringe Festival tour of Monster. He wants to continue pushing himself creatively. “As an actor, I’d love to do Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Streetcar. As a director, Endgame and The Maids.”
Passionfool also offers classes and workshops for aspiring young thespians. The Academy is taught by members of Passionfool’s ensemble, as well as guest teachers. The educational experience culminates in a public performance at the end of each 13-week session.
The Passionfool Theatre Company is the resident theatre company of The ARTS Project in downtown London, Ontario. Their 2011 season offers London audiences a dark classic on the theme of obsession in Genet’s The Maids; a powerful examination of modern societies’ climate of fear in the Presnyakov brother’s Terrorism; Peter Hall’s musical adaptation of Orwell’s searing satire Animal Farm; and, finally Martin Crimp’s groundbreaking theatrical masterpiece on the nature of identity in Attempts On Her Life.
For more information, visit www.passionfool.com or www.artsproject.ca
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