August: An Afternoon in the Country
by Jean Marc Dalpé Translated by Maureen Labonté
A hot August afternoon. The
third day of a stifling late summer heat wave. An old family farm where
four generations still live under the same roof. Monique has driven
out from the city with her new fiancé, and a special dinner is being
prepared to celebrate their upcoming wedding. But nothing is what it
seems, and despite lazy, rambling conversations on the verandah and
the comings and goings of a large household, cracks begin to appear
and tensions mount, leading to a startling, explosive end to the afternoon.
A taut family drama that chronicles the end of a way of life.
“Août turns the heat
way up and stirs that roiling cauldron of caustic bitterness only the
most interesting families can muster. …Like Chekhov’s unfortunates,
Dalpé’s characters owe their dysfunctions to the cultural shock of
rapidly changing times.” —The Montreal Gazette
“Moving… disturbing. Dalpé’s
play is full of rhythm and finesse. Nothing escapes the mounting tensions,
not even the humour that is present throughout.” —Radio-Canada
“Brilliantly constructed…
a bold, audacious play which eschews plot in favour of a solid, dramatic
situation which carries us through to the final catastrophe. Août
stays with you long after you’ve left the theatre.”
—La Presse
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