Changement à vue (1980)

The play Changement à vue by Loleh Bellon offers insight into the whimsical and transformative lives of actors behind the scenes. In the National Arts Centre’s programme for the 1980 production, Loleh Bellon writes about her relationship to her play:

"Like the 25,063 workers who paid their union dues in 1976, I am considered a 'performing artist' and come under the category of 'actor'. 

It is often assumed that actors lead lives of glamour. Magazine stands are stacked with 'Behind the Scenes' stories that fill people's minds with clichés and banalities concerning artists. So much so that some actors occasionally attempt to conform to their public image. Neither the 'giant of the stage' nor the 'clown' images truly reflects reality. The truth is that theatre people are hard-working individuals who devote themselves professionally (as opposed to amateurishly for other people) to the world of the imagination. Actors are happy and sad. They take their work seriously but do not necessarily take themselves seriously. They are irritable, irritating and vulnerable. They conceal their stage fright and their anguish behind childish pranks which are simply a polite facade for their anxiety."

Through her image, the set is designed to raise a curtain on a curtain rising. The NAC presented Changement à vue from November 17, 1980, to December 13, 1980, in the Studio.

The stage maquette, designed by Michael Eagan, resembles a green room. The maquette depicts a large open room with five vanity dressing stations on the back wall. The furniture and support walls are made from wood painted black. Above the dressing stations is a mesh screen with bricks painted on it. Behind this wall is another blank screen, most likely used for a projector. Amongst the dressing stations are chairs, a room divider, shelves, and two doors. One leaves the stage view, and the other goes into a small room built on stage right. The walls are mesh screens, so you can see an actor in the room.

The maquette was in good condition when the Matthew Marsh and Stephanie Herr started their work. The foundation was solid, and all the pieces of furniture were glued to the right spot. The solid pieces of the maquette were dusted with the cheese cloth. A paint brush was used to sweep away dust in corners, edges, and tight spaces around the furniture. The furniture was glued to the base of the maquette, but still fragile. The shelf on stage left fell, but did not break. The mesh screen was dusted using the air-blower, since we feared the cheese cloth would catch on the screen. 

Preservation team: Matthew Marsh and Stephanie Herr