DOMINOES AT

THE CROSSROADS

Based on the Novel by Kaie Kellough

Adapted and Directed by Zach Fraser
In collaboration with the creative team

Directed and Adapted by Zach Fraser
Based on the novel by Kaie Kellough

Cast
Kym Dominique-Ferguson
Alexandra Laferrière
Jeremy Lewis

Trevor Barrette: Stage Manager
Georges Michael Fanfan: Costume Designer
Bruno-Pierre Houle: Set and Props
Riel Reddick-Stevens: Onstage Sound Designer / Composer
Tim Rodrigues: Lighting Designer
Aurora Torok: Technical Director + Associate Lighting Designer
Corey Weiser: Apprentice Stage Manager

March 7th (preview)
March 8 - March 16
Talk-Backs March 9 (2pm), March 12, March 14, March 15
Pay-What-You-Decide March 10 (2pm)

Winner of 2020 QWF Paragraphe Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction

90 minutes

Location: 3680 Jeanne-Mance St, Montreal, QC H2X 2K5, Canada

Tickets

Program

Press EN/FR

Dominoes at the Crossroads has been in development over the past year as part of Infinithéâtre's Big Bang Artists' Laboratory.

Dominoes at the Crossroads was published in 2020 by Esplanade Books, with the generous assistance of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Canada Book Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage, and the Société de développement des entreprises culturelles du Québec (SODEC).

Dominoes at the Crossroads represents a vital, poignant voice from the Montréal landscape. Kaie Kellough’s writing resonates widely in a world where so many people straddle between cultures and have not one, but multiple roots and homes. We are all, so many of us, displaced and continually searching for our place in the world, literally and figuratively. Dominoes at the Crossroads is a poetic ode to an epic and universal search for home and identity, gently anchored into port here in our eclectic city that is Montréal.

Dominoes at the Crossroads is at once boldly speculative yet meticulously faithful to the textures and histories of place. It is a book both witty and moving, self-reflective and cunningly metaphysical.

— David Chariandy, author of Brother

Photo by Maxime Côté. Featuring Riel Reddick-Stevens. Featuring Set and Props Design by Bruno-Pierre Houle, Costume Design by Georges Michael Fanfan, Lighting Design by Tim Rodrigues, and Associate Lighting Design by Aurora Torok.

Creative Team

Author

Kaie Kellough

Kaie Kellough is a novelist, poet, and sound performer based in Montréal. Since 2000 he has toured internationally, written, taught, and collaborated in multi-disciplinary contexts that bridge literature with performance, improvised music, and electronic sound. Kaie’s work draws upon his Afro-Caribbean ancestry to explore migration, belonging, and the suspension of arrival. Kaie has published 3 collections of poetry, 1 novel, 1 collection of short stories, and 2 sound recordings. His most recent collection of poems, Magnetic Equator (Penguin / McClelland and Stewart) won the 2020 Griffin Trust Prize for poetry. Kaie was Writer in Residence at Queen’s University in 2020/21.

Director

Zach Fraser

Zach Fraser has adapted and directed Dominoes at the Crossroads for the stage in collaboration with a multi-disciplinary team of artists.

From the first pages of Kaie Kellough’s Dominoes at the Crossroads, I knew I was plunging into a unique and magical tale. Kaie’s collection of loosely connected stories weave together vividly detailed moments in time and space. We voyage across countries and continents, local neighbourhoods, and faraway villages. Themes of departure and return run deep. Part history lesson, part journal, part dream: the reader momentarily escapes through the narrator’s memories, drifting through time.

This will be Zach’s fourth stage adaptation of a literary work.

Performer

Kym Dominique-Ferguson

Kym Dominique-Ferguson is a Canadian Born, Caribbean raised Jamhaitianadian writer, producer, host and performing artist gracing stages since the "Late 1900s". Pre-Pandemic from 2007 onwards, he produced a multitude of shows in Montreal and beyond, including the Art of Performing Aural Sex an erotic poetry presentation, the Soirées Intimes Open Mic Nights, the Black Women centered - Phenomenal 5IVE and his one man show: Born Jamhaitianadian. In the Spring of 2023 Playwrights Canada Press published the co-authored theatre piece BLACKOUT: The Concordia Computer Riots that Ferguson worked on alongside Tamara Brown, Lydie Dubuisson & Mathieu Murphy Perron. In Fall he completed his first solo play in Dear Black Man and is now working on two writing pieces: Uncle Jimmy a two hander stage play and Anancy the God, the Spider, the Man a contemporary Afro-Caribbean-Canadian fantasy novel. Ferguson recently started producing a new performance series Inside Madpoetix Studios at Mainline Theatre's MiniMain (www.mainlinetheatre.ca) and can be heard every Tuesday on CKUT 90.3FM (www.ckut.ca) at 7pm on the radio show: Soul Perspectives.

Performer

Alexandra Laferrière

Alexandra Laferrière is a Montreal actor of Haitian descent. She is a graduate of John Abbott College’s Professional Theatre Acting Program and participated in Black Theatre Workshop’s Artist Mentorship Program, receiving guidance and support from established local artists. During her mentorship, she performed in Black Theatre Workshop’s critically acclaimed production Gas Girls, her professional debut. She played Miranda in the Montreal Fringe show Miranda and Dave Begin Again, the winner of Segal Centre’s Award For Most Promising English Theatre Company. She received her first META nomination for her role as Vanessa in Black Theatre Workshop’s Simone Half & Half. Select credits include: Camille: The Story ((Au-delà du visuel), Virginia Wolf (Geordie Theatre), The West Woods (Mulgrave Road Theatre, NS).

Performer

Jeremy Lewis

Jeremy Lewis is a mixed-race artist, predominantly Trinidadian and French-Canadian, born and based in Tio’tia:ke(Montreal). Jeremy has always had an interest in the arts. Having studied classical and jazz trombone in high school, they initially set their sights on pursuing a career as a musician. Their focus shifted to acting after being exposed to John Abbott College’s Professional Theatre program at an open house. During their time at JAC, they broadened their scope of theatrical interests by taking classes on clown, mime, and puppetry, among other things. This introduction to various theatrical practices had them hooked within a year. Upon graduating from JAC, they went on to study Acting at the National Theatre School of Canada in the graduating class of 2023. There, they got the chance to study Dialect work, Stage Combat, Neutral and Expressive Mask, and Improv, among much more. They find inspiration in work that plays heavily inside the imagination of the spectator.

Stage Manager

Trevor Barrette

Trevor Barrette (he/him) is a queer theatre maker, performer, stage manager, and teacher based in Montreal (Tio:tia’ke/Mooniyang). He has stage-managed for the Segal Centre for Performing Arts, the Dora Wasserman Yiddish Theatre, Centaur Theatre, Scapegoat Carnivale, and Troisième espace théâtre, among others. Most recently, he assistant-directed Les Belles Soeurs at the Stratford Festival, performed in Beautiful at the Segal Centre, and produced a workshop presentation of his latest musical, A Curious Life, inspired by the life and legacy of Dr. Brenda Milner. Trevor has proudly served his community as the President of the Montreal English Theatre Awards and the Vice-President of the Quebec Drama Federation. He is thrilled to be working with Infinithéatre after last appearing in a reading of Alison Darcy and Joseph Shragge’s YEV for their 2016 Festival of Staged Readings. Visit www.trevorbarrette.com for more information.

Costume Designer

Georges Michael Fanfan

Georges Michael Fanfan is a costume designer and stylist born in Haiti and raised in the United States. Having always been devoted to fashion and clothing he has always seen clothing as the perfect tool for communication and storytelling. Michael aspires to make beautiful costumes that help immerse the public in a giving place; by recreating looks from different time periods, creating new designs from scratch or styling existing fashions. Michael hopes to create clothing that is grounded in realism with subtle references that allow the costume to stand out or blend in. His credits include Dixon Road directed by Ray Hogg and written by Fatuma Adara (THE MUSICAL STAGE COMAPNY & OBSIDIAN THEATRE COMPANY), Cette Maison & Au Crépuscule films directed by Miryam Charles and Holiday Inn for the Shaw Festival as a junior sewer. The services of Georges Michael Fanfan were made possible through the Associated Designers of Canada Mentorship Program funded by the Canada Council for the Arts.

Set Designer

Bruno-Pierre Houle

Bruno-Pierre Houle (he-him) designs for theatre, film, and immersive experiences. Theatre: Small Mouth Sounds; Superdogs the Musical; Josephine A Musical Cabaret (Segal Centre), Selfie (Geordie), Le Loup (Duceppe), Proje(c)t; Les Bonnes (Third Space Theatre), Chattermarks (Cabal), You/Emma (Wandering Bark Theatre Co.), Title Loading (Fusebox Festival), Die Zauberflöte (Butler Opera Center), Fit (Notch Theatre Co.) Film: Pas d’chicane dans ma cabane (Forum Films), Sarah préfère la course (La boîte à Fanny inc.), My Name is Sandy (Iammatteo Pictures) Other: Petite Plage Concert (Ingrid St-Pierre at Théâtre Outremont), Unravelling (Never Apart) and multiple escape games. Awards: META’s Outstanding Set Design for Small Mouth Sounds Web:

www.bphoule.com

Onstage Sound Designer / Composer

Riel Reddick Stevens

Riel Reddick-Stevens is an actor and multidisciplinary artist from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia. She is a Graduate of Randolph College of the Performing arts and National Theatre School of Canada (acting). Riel is interested in making theatre and art more accessible for individuals and communities that have historically been left out of the arts. She enjoys telling and creating stories rooted in Blackness and Queerness with a focus on identity, sexuality, activism and coming of age. Select recent credits include; Unity 1918 (Two Planks and A Passion), Electra (CALLING UP), An Irresistible Urge to do Something Inadvisable (National Theatre School). Riel’s primary training is in acting and musical theatre performance with dance training in tap, ballet, jazz, and African dance. She is also a trained singer with a focus on musical theatre and jazz styles. In addition to acting, Riel is a composer and songwriter. She participated in the Musical Stage Company’s 2021 Noteworthy program and is an inaugural winner of the Rita Joe Award (Highland Arts company) for her musical LAYUP, co-written by Aaron Jan. rielreddick-stevens.com

Lighting Designer

Tim Rodrigues

A former dancer/choreographer turned lighting designer, Tim Rodrigues has worked with an array of companies on creation-based projects and international tours. Notable lighting designs include: Serving Elizabeth (Theatre Aquarius); English (Soulpepper / Segal Centre); Paint Me This House Of Love (Tarragon Theatre); The River (Magnus Theatre); Marjorie Prime (Segal Centre); How Black Mothers Say I Love You (Black Theatre Workshop); From The Stars In The Sky, To The Fish In The Sea (Geordie Theatre). Tim is a four time Montreal English Theatre Awards nominee for Outstanding Lighting Design, and was the recipient of the award in 2023. In addition to his designs, he proudly serves on the Board of Directors for Mainline Theatre and Parts+Labour_Danse.

Technical Director + Associate Lighting Designer

Aurora Torok

Aurora Torok (she/her/by name) is a queer and hard-of-hearing (using hearing aids) artist currently living on Tio'tia:ke (Montreal). Her experience in the live arts is primarily in theatre after graduating from the National Theatre School of Canada in Production Design and Technical Arts, as well as from Concordia University with a BFA - Specialization in Design for the Theatre. Other disciplines include contemporary dance, outdoor art installations, comedy and visual arts. Aurora was nominated for Outstanding Contribution to Theatre by the METAs in 2022.

Apprentice Stage Manager

Corey Weiser

Corey is a graduate of John Abbott College's Professional Theatre - Technical program. During his time at school, he developed interest in several theatre disciplines, however, Stage Management remained his true passion. At school, he was fortunate to experience working as ASM on Peter and the Starcatcher and as SM on Decomposed Theater; Or, The Human Trashcan. Since graduation, he has had the opportunity to Stage Manage Saltzman’s Antiques at the Montreal Fringe Festival and a workshop of Remarkable Voices by Gabrielle Soskin. Most recently, he took on the role of Production Manager at the Just For Laughs Montreal Festival. Corey is excited to be returning to Infinithéâtre as their Apprentice SM for the 2023/24 season.