Nicolas BILLON

Born in 1978, Nicolas Billon grew up in Ottawa, Paris, and Montreal. The Elephant's Song is his first play. It premiered at the Stratford Festival in August 2004, and went on to Montréal in January 2005 for a French production at the Théâtre d'Aujourd'hui.
(Photo : Sébastien Raymond)

 
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Titles in alphabetical order
The Elephant Song
 
The Elephant Song More about the publication
  English translation by Nicolas Billon. Published by Playwrights Canada Press, 2006.
  Original title: La chanson de l'éléphant (Leméac Éditeur, 2005).
Running time
  1 hour 20
Cast
  1 W, 2 M (1W2M)  More about the cast   More about the the suggested set
Synopsis
  An eminent psychiatrist has vanished from his office. The last person to have seen him is Michael, a troubled patient obsessed with all things elephants. Dr Greenberg, the hospital director, is determined to question Michael, ignoring the head nurse's cryptic warnings. Michael speaks of elephants and opera—with the occasional hint of murder and foul play. Fraught with mindgames and verbal tugs-of-war, The Elephant Song is a cat-and-mouse game that will keep you guessing until its haunting conclusion.
Excerpt
  « MICHAEL : An ant and an elephant share a night of romance. In the morning, the ant wakes up and finds the elephant dead from exhaustion. Do you know what the ant says? / PETERSON, thinking back : Nope! I give up! / MICHAEL : Damn! One night of passion to spend the rest of my life digging a grave! »
Press review
  « The Elephant Song is a dark, savagely funny three-hander about a mental patient, a psychiatrist and a nurse. Crisply written, it has echoes of Edward Albee's The Zoo Story, or perhaps something by Harold Pinter. » Michael Posner, The Globe and Mail, 2005

 
PLAYS AVAILABLE AT CEAD (Some notes in French may appear below)
  La chanson de l'éléphant [2004] (Leméac Éditeur, 2005)
TRANSLATIONS AND ADAPTATIONS
  The Elephant Song [2005] (Playwrights Canada Press, 2006), translation of La chanson de l'éléphant by Nicolas Billon