By Madeleine Blais-Dahlem
Music and Musical Director Helen Pridmore
Directed by Charlie Peters
Cast: Frédérique Baudemont, Gail Enright, Carol Greyeyes and Bruce McKay
Preview will take place on Feb 5th at 7:30pm
By donation
Cantate pour legumes, by celebrated Fransaskois writer Madeleine Blais-Dahlem (February 5-February 15, 2026). A celebration of the life cycle. Four “vegetables” are bored at the seniors’ home and would like to go on a pilgrimage – to Compostelle. A lyrical play, with music, Cantate is a reflection on life, aging, mortality, nostalgia, freedom and self-determination. For our 40th anniversary, a new Fransaskois play, in keeping with our mandate and tradition!
With English surtitles. CLICK HERE to learn more about surtitles.
Learn more:
Thanks to the Production Team
- Frédérique Baudemont – The Avocado
- Carol Greyeyes – The Asperagus
- Gail Enright – The Turnip
- Bruce McKay – The Gourd
- Madeleine Blais-Dahlem – Writer
- Charlie Peters – Director
- Emily Rempel – Stage Manager
- Jensine Emeline – Costume Designer
- Amberlin Hsu – Lighting Designer
- Jenna Stang – Lighting Apprentice
- Brooklynn Bitner – Set & Props Designer
- Laura St. Pierre – Projection Designer
- Helen Pridmore – Musical Direction & Music
- Shavaun Liss – English Surtitles
- Frank Engel – Technical Director
- Bruce McKay – Artistic Director and Co-General Manager
- Lina Ouaakarrouch – Administrative Director and Co-General Manager
- Dr. Heun Lee – Dramaturgical consultant
Writer’s Note
Madeleine Blais-Dahlem
As La Troupe du Jour celebrates its 40th anniversary, I am pleased to celebrate my 21st year of association with them. Cantate pour légumes is my 5th play with La Troupe. With the exception of La maculée (2011), my plays dealt with the challenges of growing old.
With Cantate pour légumes, I am confronting, exploring the greatest human mystery of all: the passage into death. It is said that only humans make a big deal of death as the only creatures with sufficient imagination to anticipate it, to fear it and to postulate an after-life. It is the unknown, and therefore irresistible to contemplate.
My deepest appreciation to La Troupe du Jour for letting my voice be heard over the last two decades and most especially for their courage in mounting this new production in their anniversary season. First, thanks to the dauntless actors – Frederique, Carol, Gail and Bruce- for taking this journey with humour and intelligence. A sincere thank you to director Charlie Peters for his vision of a total theatre experience in which you will find yourself bathed in an alternate universe. Thank you to Helen Pridmore for her masterly contributions to the musical elements of the play. Thank you to the creative technical crew who took on the challenge of creating what I had imagined and exceeded what I thought possible. A young crew: Brooklynn, Amberlin, Jensine, Laura and Jenna. And of course, much thanks to Frank and Emily who make everything happen.
Composer’s Note
Helen Pridmore
It has been a great pleasure, and an honour, to work on this play, first of all with the brilliant Madeleine Blais-Dahlem, and then with our inspiring director Charlie Peters and the wonderful cast of vegetables.
Through a careful study of the text, I found themes and musical characteristics for each vegetable; you will hear these woven into the scenes, especially in each monologue. I also add “background music” to deepen the colours and moods of the story. And I have used a couple of old melodies you may recognize. I won’t spoil the fun by identifying these: perhaps you will find them for yourselves.
A huge thank you to La Troupe du Jour for including me in this adventure.
Director’s Note
Charlie Peters
Cantate pour légumes is a show that defies categorization. Is it a play? Of course. But is it also a cantata, as the title suggests, which is therefore subject to the rules and considerations of classical music? Yes it is. Then again, is it also a poem that uses the beauty of words, physicality, and metaphor to evoke multiple meanings and emotional effects? Once again, yes. It truly is an interdisciplinary blend. To honour this, we have used the aesthetics of experimental and often improvised music as well as video installation art in addition to those of theatre to explore the many layers of reality presented by the text.
Cantate pour légumes (Vegetable Cantate) is a show that defies categorization. Is it a play? Of course. But is it also a cantata, as the title suggests, which is therefore subject to the rules and considerations of classical music? Yes it is. Then again, is it also a poem that uses the beauty of words, physicality, and metaphor to evoke multiple meanings and emotional effects? Once again, yes. It truly is an interdisciplinary blend. To honour this, we have used the aesthetics of experimental and often improvised music as well as video installation art in addition to those of theatre to explore the many layers of reality presented by the text.
We all age. We all age differently. This text asks us to consider aging personally – in particular via the instruction that each actor should sing a song from their own childhood. The text has asked us to explicitly consider our own experiences of aging and those of our loved ones, our personal experiences with using mobility aids, our fears and hopes in the present for the future, and the very human reality of needing support.
This text invites – or rather demands – multiple interpretations. It uses a potentially pejorative metaphor and a non-realistic style to explore the experiences of a range of characters. It does so, I feel, with imagination and deep respect. We have tried to respect the autonomy and specificity of the characters throughout our process. In my opinion, the text argues for the complexity and humanity of elderly folks, a group we as a society often neglect and ignore.
It is always an honour when a playwright and a theatre trust me to direct a world premiere. I offer my deep thanks to Madeleine and La Troupe du Jour for the opportunity to work on such a rich text. The creative team for this production has worked exceptionally hard onstage and backstage with an abundance of creativity but also with kindness and mutual support; I thank them all as well.
Finally, I want to thank you. Theatre is never complete before the audience arrives. At this moment in time in our divided world, it is increasingly important that we gather together to tell and listen to stories in order to wrestle with the complexities of life. I hope that this is an opportunity to do just that.
Dr. Lee’s Note
Dr. Heun Lee
As our society is rapidly aging, we see a growing number of plays, operas, films, and TV shows that portray the lives of older adults, life in long-term care homes, the cognitive and physical changes and challenges experienced by older citizens, and death. These cultural representations do not simply reflect reality, but also shape how we imagine and experience aging and old age.
This new choral play, Cantate pour légumes, written by Saskatchewan-based bilingual playwright Madelein Dahlem, tells the story of old age in a unique, poetic, and symbolic way. The imaginative setting—making each older character an old vegetable, “past their prime time” and “no longer crisp”—initially echoes familiar narratives of aging as decline, especially with the overarching image of frailty and being stuck (in a care home). However, the absurdity of the play, which often reminded me of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, opens space for reflection and questioning. What are they waiting for? Where are they going? If the destination is death—where we are all headed, no matter how old we are—how do we experience the time before it?
The play confronts experiences of loneliness and dehumanization while powerfully amplifying the voices, desires, and emotional lives of older characters. There are no other characters in the play besides the four old vegetables, a choice that resists the dominant realist narratives of aging that are often told from the perspective of caregivers. The four vegetables sing their own songs, drawing directly on the lived experiences of community older actors. They repeatedly cry out that Cantate pour légumes, confronting an ageist society in which, too often, “nobody gives a damn” about older citizens.
Biographies
Frédérique Baudemont
Originally from France, Frédérique Baudemont has been involved with La Troupe du Jour for nearly thirty years. She has had the opportunity to participate in a dozen of the company's productions, as an actress in several plays and as a reader at various festivals. Among other things, she has participated in plays from the classical repertoire such as The Tempest (William Shakespeare) and Georges Dandin (Molière); Du Vent dans les branches de sassafras (René de Obaldia); works by Fransaskois authors (Départs by David Baudemont); summer theatre (Chemin faisant at the Fête fransaskoise); and more recently, Les Belles Sœurs by Michel Tremblay. It was thanks to the kindness of Ian Nelson and Denis Rouleau that she had the opportunity to gain her first experience on stage. It is with pleasure and a certain excitement that she returns to the stage after a break of several years. It is a great opportunity to be able to interpret the nuanced words of Madeleine Blais-Dahlem and to be surrounded by a generous team, which makes the experience even more enjoyable!
Carol Greyeyes
I am very honoured to be part of La Troupe Du Jour’s 40th anniversary season in Cantate pour légumes. Over the last few decades, I've had the pleasure of contributing to several Troupe du Jour productions: Coffre-Fort and Will et Ernest (in collaboration with Radio-Canada). In 2016, I also had the opportunity to play the role of “Asperge” in the first workshop and festival reading of Cantate pour légumes. To be given the privilege of playing “Asperge” in the world premiere ten years later is a very fulfilling full-circle moment. And it has been such a joy to be part of the creative team--to have the opportunity to work and play with such talented artists has been so rewarding. My heartfelt thanks to Madeleine Blais-Dahlem for her inspired text, and to all the brilliant collaborators along the way who have brought this wonderful production to the stage. Enjoy the show, from our hearts to yours!
Gail Enright
Gail moved from Prince Albert to Saskatoon in 2023. She enjoyed performing for the theatre companies in Prince Albert in many productions for over 20 years. Gail’s first stage she performed on was La Troupe du Jour in their community play, “C’est à Nous D’Y Voir” in 2023. This also was the first time she had performed in French. She was also in Mini Fridge Theatre Company’s production “It’s Murder in the Wings” in 2024. Gail has had two musical theatre experiences in Saskatoon as part of the Who chorus in “Seussical the Musical” with the McClure Players and also was a member of the ensemble in Saskatoon Summers Players production of “The Music Man”. Gail has really enjoyed her time working with the cast and crew of this year’s community play, “Albertine en Cinq Temps”. She would like to thank her cast members, family and friends for supporting her during this production. Thank you for supporting French theatre. Enjoy the show!
Bruce McKay
Originally from Sackville, New Brunswick, Bruce graduated from Mount Allison University with a B.A. in French and Drama, then continued his training at the Na-tional Theatre School of Canada. He directed Albertine, en cinq temps, La Troupe du Jour’s community play in autumn 2025. Acting credits include Souffler la veilleuse, Lear and Will & Ernest (La Troupe du Jour), The Young Ones (Sum Theatre), Mon-day Night (Highway 55) and Death of a Salesman (Theatre Naught). He lives in Sas-katoon with his wonderful partner Cheryl Jack and their friend Hazel.
Madeleine Blais-Dahlem
I am very proud to present Cantate pour légumes in celebration of La Troupe du Jour's 40th anniversary. This is my fifth play with this theatre company: Foyer (2005), Les vieux péteux (2008), La Maculée (2011), and C'est à nous d'y voir, the community play in 2024. I thank this theatre for giving me my voice. I thank the entire team for their creativity and commitment.
Helen Pridmore
With a voice described as “acrobatic, finely-tuned and characterful” (composer Michael Finnissy) and with an “impressively extended technical and stylistic range” (The Whole Note), Helen Pridmore enjoys a career focused on contemporary scored music, experimental music and improvisation. As a soprano soloist she has performed at Carnegie Hall (with the American Symphony Orchestra), at venues in Europe, USA, Mexico, and Japan, and from coast to coast across Canada. As a chamber musician she has toured extensively, and has premiered many works by Canadian composers. With degrees from the University of Saskatchewan, University of Toronto, and the Eastman School of Music (University of Rochester), Helen has taught at several universities in the USA and Canada. She is currently a freelance musician, active as a soloist, chamber musician, and composer. Recent solo performances include events in Edmonton (New Music Edmonton), Saskatoon (Strata Festival of New Music), Regina, Brandon (Brandon University), and Winnipeg (GroundSwell). For more information, visit her website at www.helenpridmore.ca
Charlie Peters
Charlie Peters (ze/hir/hirs) is a theatre and opera director, actor, lighting designer, playwright, dramaturge, poet, arts educator, and clown based on Treaty 6 Territory. Hir artistic work has been seen on stages (and in parks, fields, school gyms, living rooms, town squares, art galleries, and swimming pools) across Canada and in Europe. Ze holds a BFA in Acting from the University of Saskatchewan, an MFA in Theatre Practice and an MA in Gender and Social Justice Studies from the University of Alberta, and has trained extensively at the Manitoulin Conservatory for Creation and Performance. Charlie's has received 2 SATAwards in addition to multiple nominations for hir work for both SATAs and Sterlings (in Edmonton). Charlie has served on the boards of multiple Saskatchewan organizations including the Saskatchewan Association of Theatre Professionals, So.Glad Arts, Saskatchewan Playwrights Centre, and 25th Street Theatre. Hir scholarly work has been published in Theatre Research in Canada, Canadian Theatre Review, Comedy Studies, Journal of Contemporary Drama in English, Dramaturgy and History: Staging the Archive (Routledge), and on HowlRound. Hir artistic work is anthologized in This Is Beyond: A Time Capsule of Queer Experience (Playwrights Canada Press) and Poetry All Over The Floor (Tonight It's Poetry Press). Charlie is very happy to make hir La Troupe Du Jour debut! www.charliepeters.ca
Emily Rempel
Emily is a theatre artist who is very happy to be working with La Troupe du Jour again! She holds a bachelors degree in drama from the U of S, where she was studying both of her theatrical passions, design and acting. Recently Emily stage managed Albertine en Cinq Temps, Souffler la Veilleuse, La Cantatrice Chauve (LTDJ), Powwow, and Tayen and the Mimi Kwesak (GTNT). She is very enthusiastic about working here with such a fantastic group of people.
Jensine Emeline
Jensine Emeline (she/they) is an award-winning Métis-settler theatre designer, stage manager, and arts administrator from Treaty 6 Territory (Saskatoon) and an alumnus from the U of S drama department. A jack of all trades, Jensine has worked across Canada as a costume designer, set designer, stage manager, production manager, box office manager, projects & operations manager and more. She is grateful for another opportunity to work with the amazing team at La Troupe du Jour, and is proud to be a part of the theatre community in Saskatoon.
Amberlin Hsu
Amberlin Hsu, a former dance student of NTUA, graduated from U of S Drama BFA Design. Xe does lighting, costume, set design and choreograph, and xe also co-found It’s Not A Box Theatre. Xe specializes in playing with area light and negative space to create abstract space for hallucination/ mindsets. Recent design credits: The Adventure of Young Turtle by So.Glad Arts, Bros by La Troupe du Jour, Fruitcake by 25th Street Theatre, Girl in the Box by Scantily Glad Theatre, and SCUM: Manifesto by Scantily Glad Theatre. Award: 2020 SATAwards: Outstanding Lighting Design (Girl in the Box).
Jenna Stang
Jenna (she/her) is thrilled to be making her professional theatre debut with La Troupe du Jour as part of an internship through the University of Saskatchewan. She is currently working towards a B.F.A. in Drama Design, which has amplified her lifelong love for art and theatre, and allowed her to discover a particular enthusiasm for lighting design. Her recent credits include lighting design for Hamletmachine and Brainstorm (Greystone Theatre). Jenna would like to thank those who have continuously supported her education, encouraged the pursuit of her passions, and provided her with the knowledge and the confidence to flourish in this field.
Brooklynn Bitner
Near the end of her Studio Art degree, Brooklynn stumbled across the USask Drama Design program and instantly fell in love. Originally drawn to graphic design and animation, she soon found herself collecting an eclectic array of skills to enrich her set, prop, costume, and sound designs. From puppetry and upholstery to electronics and 3D printing, Brooklynn delights in weaving together techniques to craft playful, transformative, and dynamic designs to help audiences fall in love with the magic of theatre. Her recent set design credits include Yaga (Two Bees Productions), Miracle on 34th Street (Persephone Theatre), Luna (25th Street Theatre), Long Day's Journey into Night (Theatre Naught), and Iago Speaks (Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan).
Laura St. Pierre
Laura St. Pierre is a Fransaskoise artist who works primarily in photo, video and installation from an ecological perspective. Her studio, located on Treaty 6 Territory, incorporates a native plant and food garden, as well as a refuge for insects, birds and wild creatures. She studied psychology at UBC and visual art at the U of A, and earned an MFA from Concordia University. Recent projects include participation in the international broadcast Earth (Okâwîmâw Askiy – ᐅᑳᐧᒫᐊᐧᐢᑭᕀ), as well as solo exhibitions at the MacKenzie Art Gallery, the Galerie d'art Louise et Ruben Cohen, and the Kenderdine/College Art Galleries. Her work has also been featured in BlackFlash Magazine and the Malahat Review of late. She writes about art on the prairies and teaches part time at the University of Saskatchewan.
Dr. Heun Lee
Dr. Heun Lee is a theatre and performance studies scholar, dramaturg, and age critic whose work explores aging, dementia, and disability through performance. She received her PhD in Performance Studies from the University of Alberta. She is currently a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Calgary, where she leads Cultural Dance for Dementia (2025–2027), a community-based project co-creating culturally responsive dance programs for older Asian immigrants living with dementia.
Thanks
Thank you for attending the show!
Madeleine:
I thank La Troupe du Jour for giving me my voice. I thank the entire team for their creativity and commitment.
Charlie:
Jesse Fulcher Gagnon, and Al Peters.
Carol:
Abby Soder, Ryan Moccasin and The Feather News production.
My heartfelt thanks to Madeleine Blais-Dahlem for her inspired text, and to all the brilliant collaborators along the way who have brought this wonderful production to the stage. Enjoy the show, from our hearts to yours!
Gail:
She would like to thank her cast members, family and friends for supporting her during this production. Thank you for supporting French theatre. Enjoy the show!
Brooklynn:
Nick Konstantinidis, Greystone Theatre, and Bee Hive Flooring.
Jenna:
Jenna would like to thank those who have continuously supported her education, encouraged the pursuit of her passions, and provided her with the knowledge and the confidence to flourish in this field.
Thanks to our partners and funders
Persephone Theatre, On the Boards & Jesse Fulcher Gagnon
