91르적 Press will publish \u201cPiecework \/ Travail \u00e0 la pi\u00e8ce,\u201d a landmark bilingual collection of two Franco American plays by Vermont playwright and performer Abby Paige on April 4. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Through her works, Paige brings a fresh, irreverent and humorous perspective to the Franco American experience and the often-overlooked history of the borderlands between francophone Canada and northern New England.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m not interested in nostalgia,\u201d Paige explained. \u201cI\u2019m interested in consequences. I want to understand how my life, who I am, the world I see and live in, how these things are consequences of things that happened in the past. I\u2019m trying to see and understand that clearly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPiecework \/ Travail \u00e0 la pi\u00e8ce\u201d is the second title in the \u00c9ditions R\u00e9veil series, an imprint established in 1996 by the University of Maine Press and the Franco American Centre at the University of Maine to publish works by and about Franco Americans. The series\u2019 inaugural title, Un Jacques Cartier Errant \/ Jacques Cartier Discovers America: Three Plays<\/em> by Gr\u00e9goire Chabot, set the stage for continued exploration of Franco American narratives. Chabot played a key role in the development of Piecework \/ Travail \u00e0 la pi\u00e8ce<\/em>, working closely with Paige on translations until he passed in 2021. French writer and translator Agathe Anne later contributed to completing the translations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To celebrate the book\u2019s release, the University of Maine Press and the Franco American Centre will host a launch event on Saturday, April 5, at 6:30 p.m. at the Black Box Theater, Class of 1944 Hall, on the University of Maine\u2019s Orono campus. The event will feature live readings, performances, music and discussions. Additional launch events will take place throughout New England, supported by the Franco American Centre, the Vermont Arts Council and the Vermont Community Foundation. The full schedule is available online<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Paige is a writer and theater artist whose work often examines identity, language, and the intersections of history and personal experience. She is known for her remarkable versatility and ability to use humor to address complex themes. Her plays have received widespread acclaim for their insight, wit and emotional depth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first play in the collection, Piecework: When We Were French<\/em> (Travail \u00e0 la pi\u00e8ce : Quand on \u00e9tait fran\u00e7ais<\/em>), premiered in 2009 as part of the Champlain Quadricentennial Celebration in Burlington, Vermont. Based on interviews with Vermonters of French Canadian heritage, the play presents ten monologues that explore Franco American identity across generations. Described by Seven Days<\/em> as \u201cpoetic and powerful\u201d and by the Barre-Montpelier Times Argus<\/em> as \u201cfun, funny\u2026 fascinatingly entertaining and authentic,\u201d the production toured New England and was later made available on video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n