Photo — Stéphanie Jasmin
Photo — Yanick Macdonald
Photo — Stéphanie Jasmin
Photo — Yanick Macdonald
Photo — Stéphanie Jasmin
Photo — Yanick Macdonald
The face of a woman appears in the half-light. A woman who has no age or who would be every age at once. Perhaps it is her conscience that suddenly is making itself heard and that would not be altered by time.
We understand, little by little, that the life of this woman has spanned the 20th century, which saw the emancipation of women advanced but not completely achieved. She is a woman without an exceptional destiny, who did her best to live well and be happy. Suddenly, a voice never heard before emerges from her, a groundswell that brings certain moments of her existence back to life in a different way.
This memory, which has been reactivated in a burst of energy, is based on a framework with which she had ordered her life. These are the ten commandments, not of God, but of Dorothy Dix, an American columnist who dispensed her recipes and advice for happiness in the newspaper. Dorothy Dix’s Ten Commandments for Happiness—which were, in a way, her life guide—structure the text and set the tone for each part of the play, like an unconscious memory becoming the starting point of a muted revolt or unconscious desire to liberate something, in an unexpected lucidity.
After writing OMBRES (2005) and LES MARGUERIE(S) (2018), which were rooted in the intimate thoughts of real characters from literary history, this time Stéphanie Jasmin explores the thoughts of a woman with seemingly no history, like thousands of others—her grandmother. The play was a huge success when it premiered last season at the Théâtre Espace GO and when it was presented at the NAC Theatre and the Théâtre de la Colline in Paris.
Discover the co-directors of UBU presenting the play Les dix commandements de Dorothy Dix at Le Diamant. Check out the article ›
