She enrolled in an optional theater performance course in the middle of her university management course at the University of Ottawa. “I thought I’d get a good grade easily! » But Stephie Mazunya earned more than an A: she experienced real love at first sight that changed her life.
“I loved this class so much that I left management to minor in drama! », says the young woman. Originally from Burundi, the one who emigrated to Ottawa at the age of 14 followed her passion to Montreal, where in 2019 she completed her studies at the National Theater School (ENT) of Canada.
What did his father, a professor of French literature, and his mother, a sociologist, think of this radical change of direction? “They supported me, but the instability of the profession still worries them…”
After a bittersweet time on the benches of the ENT – where her accent was not Quebecois enough for the taste of some earned her some “borderline racist” comments from her peers – she multiplied the projects with renowned directors. Denis Marleau in Thirst Materials. Solène Paré in Les louves. Sophie Cadieux in Nassara.
She is now preparing to carry the central role of rope on her shoulders. stiff, a piece signed by debbie tucker green, translated by Fanny Britt and presented at Espace Go.
The premise of the text by the British of Jamaican origin sends shivers down your spine. In an unidentified near future, legal processes have changed for victims of violent acts. It is now the latter who choose the punishment of their attacker…
“My character is the victim of an atrocious crime, but the procedure for choosing the punishment is also very violent for this woman. The text highlights the daily violence experienced by racialized people, particularly black women, and questions the place given to them in our society. It’s a dystopia, but the issues are very current. »
During the first reading of the play, Stephie Mazunya was blown away by the British’s dramatic writing. “Her writing is very impactful; the rhythm is very important and the silences too. She addresses very political issues with great finesse, without ever being frontal. It’s the kind of text you think about long after the show. I want to live up to this character, give him all the nuances he deserves. »
The 30-year-old performer admits to having drawn parallels between what her character experiences and what she herself experiences on a daily basis. “They’re not as serious things as in the play. Hurtful words are often explained by a certain ignorance, but the repetition of this ignorance ends up becoming violent. »
Stephie Mazunya is “honored” to lend her voice to this character, as she looks forward to working with director Alexia Bürger on this project. “She is a woman of great sensitivity. » She is also very happy to share the stage with Eve Landry and Patrice Dubois, “two performers in full mastery of their art”.
She also found another way to make her voice heard: that of writing. Next April, his play S’enjailler will be presented at the Jean-Claude Germain room at the Center du Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui. “S’enjailler means to have fun in Ivorian slang. I wanted to represent black women in a lighter context. I wanted us to exist outside of trauma. My characters are millennials, academics, dating, talking about their relationships. The play is also a way of reclaiming the language of young people in Montreal! »
Stephie Mazunya intends to pursue her career as a performer and playwright. “Writing allows me to fully express myself as an artist. Representing diverse communities in theater allows the audience to access something intimate. The viewer can understand all the subtleties and thus get to know us better…”
A Colombian family, eccentric to say the least, is at the heart of this comedy by Mariana Tayler which opens the Aux Écuries season. Inspired by an event experienced by her family scattered across the four corners of the world, Providencia recounts the astonishing (and festive) funeral of the matriarch who died on the eve of her 80th birthday. The event brings together the clan in Boston, including Adriana, a careerist on the verge of professional burnout, played by Emmanuelle Lussier-Martinez. A text imbued with magical realism directed by Marie Farsi.
The backstage of the Théâtre Duceppe welcomes the short play Lau, by Marie-Pier Audet, in a 5 to 7 format. There we meet Laura, a thirty-something drifter who decides to consult a clairvoyant named Jocelyne in the hope of finding answers to the many questions that bother her. From the loss of her mother when she was a child to the lover who has just left, Laura seeks to put the scattered pieces of her life back together. A monologue carried by Marie Bernier (supported by Catherine Viau), directed by Frédéric Blanchette.
Evening of theatrical performance. As the performers were unable to appear on stage, the playwright replaced them at short notice, offering the audience a “rapid entire history of the planet”. Between mass extinctions and climate crisis, she questions with great hope about humanity and its future. This solo text, written by the American Miranda Rose Hall and directed by Rose Plotek, is brought to the stage by Fabiola Nyrva Aladin.
Maude Bégin-Robitaille signs the text of this creation which discusses feminism against a western backdrop. In this tense closed-door setting on a ranch in the middle of the desert, six female characters with powerful voices are heard. A rage burns within them against this universe which imposes social codes on them without worrying about their desires and their ambitions. A text carried by seven performers, directed by Marie-Hélène Lalande.
