Dépanneur Comedy

Finding New Quebec Identity in a Universal Place

Fringe ArtsElysha del Giusto-Enos — Published April 4, 2012

This week Le Nouveau Théâtre Sainte Catherine is bringing back its bilingual serialized comedy, Dépflies. Written by playwright Alain Mercieca, the Chekov-meets-Seinfeld show about a St-Henri dépanneur is now in its third instalment.

“These are characters fighting to find their place in the new Quebec,” said Mercieca. “With the dépanneur as a symbol of old tradition, new consumerism and a community centre for the protagonists […] The characters are centered around characters that have recurred in my plays for years: the misanthropic poet, the cantankerous Canadian woman, the maternal Québecoise, and the ambitious intelligent male.”

Mercieca said that even without seeing previous installments in the series the audience will not feel lost. All they need to know is that the show takes place in a dep and that it revolves around the struggle between pursuing happiness, freedom and staying stuck in tradition.

“I am very impulsive with my writing, and once I had the idea, the writing came in droves,” he said. “The universality of the dep is unprecedented in Québecois culture–literally everyone can relate to it.”

Le Nouveau produces its own shows, but also hosts events and performances such as The Montreal Sketch Comedy Festival and their weekly show, Sunday Night Improv.

Dépflies – Moé Pis Toé / April 5-7 / 8 p.m. / Le Nouveau Théâtre Sainte Catherine (264 Ste. Catherine St. E.) / $12