abby paige.writer.actor

Photo By Barbara Leslie

History comes in pieces. We stitch them together.

Written & Performed by Abby Paige
Directed & Dramaturged by Koby Rogers Hall

Conceived through the generous support of
Burlington City Arts & Kingdom Country Productions

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
Bennington Museum, Bennington, VT – November 10, 2010
Clinton Community College, Plattsburgh, NY – TBA
St. Johnsbury School, St. Johnsbury, VT – Saturday, January 29, 2011
The Shea Theater, Turners Falls, MA – Sunday, January 30, 2011

ABOUT THE SHOW

“Poetic and powerful. Paige has assembled a patchwork of stories into a cohesive, beautiful whole.”
- Seven Days

“A consummate performer [and] a fine writer…Paige has stitched together a fascinating, engaging and gripping quilt made out of French-Canadian memories and history.”
- Burlington Free Press

“Fun, funny…fascinatingly entertaining and authentic!”
- Barre-Montpelier Times Argus

“This is great entertainment.”
- Rutland Herald

“‘Piecework’ delves into the good, bad and ugly of the Franco-American experience.”
- Press Republican

Commissioned for the Champlain Quadricentennial Celebration in Burlington, Vermont, “Piecework: When We Were French” is a one-person performance piece that explores the legacy of French-Canadian immigration to New England. Between 1850 and 1950, hundreds of thousands of French-Canadians immigrated to the United States. Often traveling by railroad, most passed through Vermont on their way to the industrial centers of New England, and many chose to stay in the Green Mountain State, building churches, schools, and communities, and influencing Vermont culture in ways that can still be felt today. In fact, according to the 2000 census, a quarter of Vermonters are of French-Canadian descent.

Bilodeau family picnic, St. Lazare-de-Bellechasse, Quebec

While French-Canadian identity was once defined by a strong connection to Quebec, dedicated involvement in the Catholic Church, and of course, use of the French language, that identity evolved as our francophone ancestors adapted to their new home. What connections do Franco-Americans feel to their heritage today? Do Vermonters who don’t speak French, don’t attend church, and maintain no ties to Canada still consider themselves Franco-Americans? What do contemporary Vermonters think about their ancestry, and how has their family history influenced them?

The creation of the show began with a series of exploratory interviews with Franco-Americans, who generously shared their family histories and cherished memories. From their contributions, historical research and my own experiences, dramatic portraits emerged of ten characters with unique feelings, questions and secrets about their heritage. Through their monologues, the show explores how we remember, what we choose to forget, and how we piece together the present from the scraps that are handed down to us by preceding generations.

“The preservation of heritage, like translation, is the process through which objects and memories are selected, salvaged, preserved, and recontextualized for new viewers.”
- Sherry Simon

“I actually think that the idea of an individual writer is bullshit. All writers are collaborating. They are all talking to other people. They might go home and write by themselves, but they didn’t create their text alone. All writers are part of a bigger fabric.”
- Catriona Strang

Photo by Barbara Leslie

PAST PERFORMANCES

WORLD PREMIERE
July 11-13, 2009 – Flynnspace – Burlington, Vermont
In conjunction with the Champlain Quadricentennial Celebration

VERMONT TOUR, SPRING 2010
February 11-14 – Lost Nation Theater, Montpelier
March 5 – Whittemore Theater, Marlboro College
March 6 – Town Hall Theater, Middlebury
March 12 & 13 – Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington

VERMONT HISTORY EXPO
June 26, 2010 – Tunbridge Fairgrounds, Tunbridge, Vermont

ABBY PAIGE is a poet, playwright, and performer who was born and raised in South Burlington, Vermont. She began her career as a stand-up and sketch comedian in San Francisco, and in 2003 moved home to Vermont to work on The Voices Project, a documentary theater project about the lives of Vermont teens that she co-wrote, co-directed, and co-produced. Abby has appeared in several productions at Montpelier’s Lost Nation Theater (Judevine, Tartuffe), in Jay Craven’s TV comedy series, Windy Acres, and recently in Craven’s radio variety show, Queen City Radio Hour. Abby received her BA from Vassar College and her MFA from the Bennington Writing Seminars, and she is a former Fulbright Scholar. She now lives in Montreal.

KOBY ROGERS HALL is a creator, performer, and director of new works. Born in Burlington, Vermont, she is the Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Mischief Theatre, a performance collective based in Montreal. Her recent projects include Nothing Like the Sun, Lady J, and Bordering, a documentary theatre piece about immigration policy in Canada. Koby has collaborated with companies across Canada, the U.S., and Eastern Europe, most recently with bluemouth inc. for the interdisciplinary Dance Marathon and with Arden2 for the Year of Grotowski 2009. Koby is a recipient of the Government of Canada Millenium Award for innovation in her field and the Zonta Club of Ottawa Emerging Artist Award. She holds a BFA Honours specialized in collective and new play creation from York University in Toronto.