En sortant de Cochrane
Created by Alain Lauzon and Theatre 4.669
Ottawa | 90 mins
How do you begin to unpack the grief and discomfort of family trauma when no one has addressed it for 20 years? How do you begin to come to terms with your identity in an environment you’re not sure is accepting? How do you come to understand yourself through emotions that have been suppressed since childhood?
The answer for some might not be to channel everything into a 90-minute performance using interview transcriptions you collected from the very family members who are just as reluctant to open up about their inner feelings as you are. For Alain Lauzon, it’s the exact way to reconnect with painful memories and reacquaint himself with his artistry.
Alain Lauzon in En Sortant de Cochrane. Photo provided.
After a devastating car crash which left his family reeling in the aftermath—along with his coming out shortly after—Lauzon and his fellow actors Anie Richer, Frédérique Thérien, Mauricio Campbell-Martinez and Nicolas Desfossés, bare all on stage with nothing more than a few dismembered car seats and metal fences surrounding the perimeter of the stage.
The story is quite meta in the way Lauzon sometimes stops through a monologue to reveal his artistic decisions, or to add exposition on personal details throughout. It also poignantly addresses how traumatic events manifest differently in others’ memories, highlighting the strength and resilience it takes to acknowledge something truly awful.
Photo of Alain Lauzon. Photo provided
While there are many characters which make an appearance during this story, the cast is five actors strong, each delivering heartbreaking yet relatable performances. The runaway star for me was Mauricio Campbell-Martinez as Lauzon’s alter ego, who represents Lauzon’s fears and shame with regard to the memories he has hidden deep within his consciousness.
Shame and silence are used in a way to show courage and compassion that avoids cringey comparison and brings the audience into intimate connection. This is a must-see at the undercurrents festival.
En Sortant de Cochrane is at undercurrents until Feb. 8. Tickets are pay-what-you-can, ranging from $10 to $50. For more information and to purchase tickets, see the undercurrrents schedule here.
