York’s Glendon campus is the place to be these days for aficionados of music, singing, visual arts, literature and culinary arts, not to mention French culture and language. All of these interests will be represented through a variety of plays, lectures, concerts and seminars as part of “Rendez-vous de la francophonie” that continues to Wednesday, March 24.
Left: Author Paul-Francois Sylvestre
These events, organized through Glendon’s Artistic and Cultural Affairs Office, began on March 16, and have already featured Ubu Roi (see March 15 YFile) and the Acadian band Trans Akadi. It continues with the following line-up of events.
Monday, March 22
010 Wood Residence
- A visual arts workshop will take place from noon to 1:30pm, come and discover new students’ work created under the direction of up-and-coming visual artist, Glendon Professor Marc Audette.
- From 4:30 to 7:30pm, take part in a free visual arts workshop; join students in the casual ambiance of a “Happening”. Wine and cheese will be provided. Everyone is welcome.
Tuesday, March 23
Glendon Theatre, York Hall
- From noon to 1pm, La Tangente is hosting a noon-theatre with a reading of an extract from a one-act police drama, Requiem pour un trompettiste (Requiem for a Trumpeter), a text chosen by its art director Claude Guilmain. An abstract of the play: “In 1952, in a heat wave, the mayor of a small city is suspected to have withheld some information that could have prevented the death of many citizens.” Free admission. Bring your lunch.
(La Tangente works to create & promote new theatre. Thriving on the artistic resources & talents of its members, the company stands out from institutional theatre because of its audacity and originality.)
Wednesday, March 24
Salon Albert Tucker, York Hall
- At 2:30pm, there will be a discussion led by author Paul-Francois Sylvestre on “L’Ontario français historique et littéraire”, in collaboration with Les Éditions du GREF.
Join us as we follow the steps of francophone explorers, missionaries, founders of colonies, entrepreneurs and leaders who left their mark in our provinces, first in the northern part of the country and in Upper Canada, and after, in the 19th and 20th centuries, in Ontario. In presenting a detailed historical backdrop and covering a period ranging from 1610 to the present, Sylvestre tells how various pages of our history have inspired contemporary Franco-Ontarian writers in their production of novels, plays, poetry, biographies and autobiographies. The conversation will span both the historical & literary facets of this exciting topic.
Author of seven novels, of short poetry and of 15 essays and monographs about French Ontario, Sylvestre received a medal in 1987 from the Council of French Life in America for services rendered to the Ontario francophonie. He also received The Chantecler of Literature in 1991 and the New-Ontarian award in 1994, granted as a celebration of his work as a whole. Former editor-in-chief of the Artistic Liaison Journal (1987-1997), former head of the Franco-Ontarian Office at the Ontario Arts Council (1997-2002), literary critic and historical columnist at L’Express de Toronto since 2001, Sylvestre is currently secretary of the Historical Society of Toronto.
For more information about the events, contact Martine Rheault, Glendon artistic coordinator, 416-487-6859. artculture@glendon.yorku.ca.