Tableau D'Hote Theatre Brings SEDNA: GODDESS OF THE SEA to Segal Centre, Now thru Oct 6

After the record-breaking, critically acclaimed Montréal Premiere of Elizabeth Rex, Tableau D'Hôte Theatre returns for its 8th season with a re-telling of the enchanting Northern Aboriginal folktale Sedna: Goddess of the Sea. The Segal Centre presents this Tableau D'Hôte premiere production adapted and directed by celebrated artist Jessica Abdallah. Sedna: Goddess of the Sea plays at the Segal Centre Studio for a limited run tonight, September 30 to October 6, 2013.

Derived from the myth, Sedna: Goddess of the Sea is a stunning multi-media play that transports audiences through an evocative theatrical journey inspired by the traditional storytelling history and culture of the First Peoples of this land. Sedna?s story is a powerful voyage of a young woman?s coming of age in a world where cultural tradition, duty, and male dominance weigh heavy on one person?s journey of self-discovery.

The play begins with a young woman, pregnant with child, standing by an endless sea; a place that, since her mother's death, has transformed from a vast body of water to a resting place for faraway memories and history. The young woman, we learn, is Sedna's daughter - half human, half raven; born from the woman who was fooled by the Raven (a mythical figure known as the 'trickster god'). As the daughter speaks to the sea, questioning how she will be able to bring a child into a world where she feels abandoned, she journeys through the story of how her mother became the goddess she was destined to become.

Terrified, the girl tried to hold on to the side of the boat, begging her father to let her back in. But the father, overcome with fear, was in a crazed state. He took out his knife and, with a quick gesture, cut off the first fingers of his daughter's hands. As the fingers fell into the sea they transformed into seals.

"When I first discovered the myth about Sedna, I was mesmerized by the epic quality of the story," says director Jessica Abdallah who has worked on the adaptation for over two years and recently ventured to Yellowknife to dive deeper into the environment of the story. "Her story twists through family struggles, the joy of young love, the excitement of leaving, deception, loneliness and despair, a father's journey, a horrific battle, heartbreaking betrayal and an unexpected rebirth. The story is both beautiful and grotesque," she continues, "It awoke something in me and I knew I had to explore the myth further."

Tableau D'Hôte Theatre is excited to bring this timeless story to Montréal as it highlights the rich tapestry of Aboriginal communities that seldom have a voice on our city stages. "Exploring Northern traditions and bringing them to an Eastern audience closes a gap and allows for intercultural dialogue which is at the heart of this production," says Artistic Director Mike Payette, "What is universal, however, no matter where the story is being told or by whom is that Sedna's transformation impresses on us that even after life's darkest offerings, it is how we move forward that shapes who we will become."

Sedna and her powerful story are brought to life by the multi-talented Yellowknife-based artist Tiffany Ayalik who comes to the city making her Montreal stage debut. Beside her, playing several characters including "The Raven" and Sedna's Father is veteran Charles Bender (Where The Blood Mixes, Teesri Duniya Theatre) who has also worked with Theatre Ondinnok and has been a staple personality for the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) for years.

Ms. Abdallah, whose work with Tableau D'Hôte Theatre includes the adaptation of Laval Goupil's Dark Owl, works alongside some of the most celebrated creators this city has to offer and from across the country. Nationally renowned Yellowknife-based composer Carmen Braden leads the design team in creating the enchanting and often haunting original soundscape. The beautifully interactive set design comes to fruition under the eye of MECCA winning Lara Kaluza (A Line in the Sand). They are teamed with MECCA winning Jody Burkholder (Humans) on lights, and resident artist Noémi Poulin on costumes. Rachel Dawn Woods stage manages, with dramaturgy by Alexandria Haber.

DIFFERENT INTERPRETATIONS ON THE MYTH OF 'SEDNA'

"Canada's Polar Life"

http://www.polarlife.ca/traditional/myth/sedna.htm

"Inuit Sea Goddess and Queen of the Eskimo Underworld

http://www.godchecker.com/pantheon/native_american-mythology.php?deity=SEDNA

"Age Mythology Stories"

http://agemythologystories.blogspot.ca/2011/05/sedna-goddess-of-sea.html

The production will run September 30 - October 6, 2013 at the Segal Centre Studio, 5170, ch. de la Côte-Ste-Catherine, Montreal. For tickets, contact the Segal Centre Box-Office: (514) 739-7944; General Admission: $15 + tx Groups (10 or more): 10% off. For more information, visit www.tableaudhotetheatre.ca or www.segalcentre.org.

 

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