New Translation Commission – Arts Across Canada
Bouche Theatre Collective
NEW TRANSLATION COMMISSION
Deafy
By Chris Dodd
Translator (to French): Martin Bellemare
Deaf public speaker Nathan Jesper has arrived at his venue desperately
late. As he launches into his speech, he soon realizes that things are not
what they seem. Written and performed by Deaf actor Chris Dodd,
Deafy is a stand-up/sit-down tragicomedy blending ASL, the spoken
word and surtitles, which leads you on an unexpected journey of
belonging.
“(Nathan) is droll, wry, a master of the eye roll/shrug combo, a guy who’s in touch with the absurdities of his world.” – Liz Nicholls, 12th Night
“…visceral, compelling and instructive.” – Edmonton Journal
“A play that reaches out to be more than just the sum of its parts.”
– Beer Tent Reviews
Chris Dodd in Deafy (2025)
GALLERY
MEET THE PLAYWRIGHT
Chris Dodd
Chris Dodd is an award-winning Edmonton-based Deaf performing artist, playwright, and accessibility advocate. Over a 25-year career, he founded and serves as artistic director for SOUND OFF, Canada’s national theatre festival dedicated to Deaf performing arts, working to dismantle barriers for Deaf artists. His critically acclaimed solo show, Deafy, has toured widely and been published by Playwrights Canada Press in the anthology Interdependent Magic: Disability Performance in Canada. A tireless advocate, he has consulted on accessibility and previously worked as an Adaptive Technologist at the University of Alberta. His significant contributions have been recognized with honors including the 2019 Guy Laliberté Prize and an appointment to the Order of Canada in 2025.
MEET THE TRANSLATOR
Martin Bellmare
A graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada’s playwriting program, Martin Bellemare was awarded the 2009 Prix Gratien-Gélinas for Le Chant de Georges Boivin. He received creative assistance grants from CNT/ARTCENA for La Liberté, Moule Robert (Bourse CNL, shortlisted for the 2017 Prix de la dramaturgie francophone de la Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques [SACD], 2018 Prix Michel-Tremblay), for Maître Karim la perdrix (2018 SACD Prix de la dramaturgie francophone), and for his play for young audiences Charlie et le Djingpouite (shortlisted for the 2020 Prix Louise Lahaye). He has led workshops and attended writing residencies in West Africa, Quebec and Europe, including Poland, where he wrote three short plays for the DramEducation Francophone project “10 sur 10.” He was a finalist for the 2020 Siminovitch Prize, which celebrates excellence and innovation in contemporary Canadian theatre. His play Cœur minéral won the 2020 Governor General’s Literary Award for Drama. His plays are read and performed in West Africa, Canada, and Europe, and are published by Dramaturges Éditeurs and Lansman.
ABOUT Bouche
Speak beyond distanc, language and culture.
Bouche Theatre Collective (BTC) is a Vancouver-based artistic collective co-founded in 2012 by France Perras and Jack Paterson. We are uniquely dedicated to the development, production, and presentation of multi-language works, cross-disciplinary arts, and creative translation. With creative producers Jack Paterson & Hannah Siden, our mission is to showcase daring contemporary international and national practices by bridging creators separated by distance, language, and culture in an inclusive, equitable, and sustainable practice.
ABOUT CREATIVE TRANSLATION
Professionally as “Creative Translation.”, Translation in theatre, rather than a word-for-word substitution, the source text is a point of reference to create an equally compelling work in the new language.
With many choices beyond words, the creative translator draws on a wide knowledge of the performing arts and a deep understanding of the target culture. In addition to new rhythms, poetic structures, and metaphors, it’s not uncommon for new scenes, scenarios, and text to be created. It is a uniquely collaborative art; one where the collaborators are the cultures and languages of the original and target population as embodied by the artists involved.
Our Creative Translation team is gathered from leading theatre makers in both official languages from across the nation.
PRODUCTION TEAM
Creative Producers: Jack Paterson & Hannah Siden
We gratefully ackowledge the support of:
