Spinning around an indoor rink in November is like spinning outside in the middle of January: you’re freezing. This is what we saw on Tuesday when we visited the set of L’aréna, a new sketch comedy from Noovo.
The humidity of the Colisée de Laval, home of the Petroliers, pierces clothing after just a few minutes. This is why an actress like Catherine St-Laurent collects hand warmers and toe warmers to keep her extremities warm between each take. “It’s cold all the time! exclaims the actress, laughing. We always have a little drop in our nose! »
“You have to dress like you do in winter,” adds director Sébastien Gagné. I have a heated jacket, boots… It’s really hot! »
Expected on the air in January, the first season of L’aréna will offer an incursion between the walls of a complex devoted to ice sports, where a panoply of characters converge every week: hockey players, their girlfriends, the staff of interview, the coach, spectators, etc.
Filming for the first 12 episodes began at the beginning of October and will last until November 15. Nearly every area of the building is tapped, including the locker room, where the team behind the show battles another element besides temperature: the smell.
“It really smells like old swing,” emphasizes Sébastien Gagné, grimacing.
The arena is equipped with a high-calibre cast including, among others, Benoît Brière as manager of the pro-shop and Sophie Cadieux and Éric Paulhus as former figure skating champions converted into coaches.
During our visit, the duo was filming a scene in which Sophie Cadieux, wearing a fluorescent yellow toque and wearing skates fitted with blade guards, clumsily attempted to seduce the father of a student while Éric Paulhus, hidden behind a beam, described his technique with as much intensity as Alain Goldberg analyzes a routine at the World Championships.
“They are two hyper-psychorigid characters,” says the producer and co-idea of the project, Nathalie Brigitte Bustos, of Groupe Entourage (Big Brother Celebrities, The Traitors).
For her part, Valérie Blais plays Patricia, the canteen worker who tries in vain to promote healthy menus. The actress describes her character as a “good lady of her time” despite an outfit that seems straight out of the 1980s (an orange scrunchie holds back her hair).
“She’s on Tinder. She has lovers. She takes magic mushrooms in micro-doses…”
Two comedians appear in the credits of L’aréna: Mariana Mazza, who continues to add to her acting CV after Lignes de vanishes (2022) and Maria (2021), and Phil Roy, who is experiencing his baptism of acting. In an interview, the stand-up comedy speaks of a particularly pleasant and enriching experience. “I have no pride and I wanted a challenge. I wanted to learn. »
Phil Roy admits to being impressed to work alongside seasoned actors whom he has followed for several years, including Marc Beaupré. “I’m 35 and I listened to 2 brothers. For me, Marc is Kevin Drisdell! I think it’s crazy to play with!
“The first day of filming, Catherine St-Laurent came to introduce herself. I was like: “Well let’s see! I know very well who you are. You think I’ve never watched District 31?” »
Irdens Exantus and Leila Thibeault-Louchem also play important roles.
In addition to Sophie Cadieux and Éric Paulhus, whom he directed in Letting go, Sébastien Gagné took advantage of the filming of L’aréna to bring together another tandem that he cherishes so much: Catherine Chabot and Valérie Tellos, who we can see for several weeks on ICI Tou.tv Extra in La Candidate, a series he directed.
“It’s not a coincidence,” he explains, smiling. I fell in love with these girls. Selfishly, I wanted to work with them again. »
For their part, the actresses were delighted to be on the same set, especially since the latest news is that The Candidate will stop after just one season. “It’s an unexpected joy to play together again,” comments Catherine Chabot, who defends the character of Mariloup, Marion’s friend (Valérie Tellos), in L’aréna.
Unlike other colleagues, the two actresses never frequented arenas growing up. Although she plays a hockey player on screen, Valérie Tellos even admits to “skating like a deer”.
As for Catherine Chabot, her only arena experience is so absurd that one would swear a future sketch from the show. “My boyfriend plays hockey in a garage league on Tuesdays with Phil Roy. The other night he said to me, “Come see me play…” I’m not a hockey fan, but I went and watched half an hour of the game… another team! There were two rinks in the arena, and I watched the wrong game! »
The texts for L’aréna come from a collective of authors headed by Jean-François Provençal (Les Appendices), Justine Philie (co-author of Christine Morency’s show) and Julien Tapp (La confrérie, Contre-offre). Since Between Two Sheets is packing up in a few weeks after four seasons, the series could become Noovo’s new successful sketch comedy.
Although the action takes place entirely in an arena, the themes covered cast a much wider net.
“We have great freedom to play in lots of other clubs,” continues Catherine St-Laurent.
“It’s not a show about sports. It’s a series about life,” says Nathalie Brigitte Bustos, vice-president, television and feature film, at Entourage.
