Class: The ABCs of Documentary Theater

The ABCs of Documentary Theatre is an introductory class in the discipline of documentary theatre, offered by Porte Parole, the pioneering company of the genre in Québec. It will be led by its co-founders, Annabel Soutar and Alex Ivanovici.

What you’ll learn

Through this training, you will develop the essential skills of documentary theatre:

• Choosing a strong topic: Identify a compelling theme and formulate the living question which will guide your investigation.
• Conducting field research: Build an active research process, target the right sources, and prepare and conduct meaningful interviews.
• Turning research into theatrical storytelling: Organize, structure, and shape your documentary material into a dynamic dramatic form.
• Maintaining a rigorous and nuanced approach: Recognize your own biases, stay open, and communicate clearly without losing complexity or precision.
• Sharing and mobilizing: Present your investigation in an engaging way, build connections, and reflect on the role of the artist-citizen in society.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites are required to participate! This training is open to anyone who wants to practice or better understand documentary theatre as developed by Porte Parole.

The Teachers

Porte Parole co-founders Annabel Soutar and Alex Ivanovici will share their expertise, developed over 25 years of creating powerful documentary plays such as J’aime Hydro, Projet Polytechnique, Rose et la machine, The Watershed, Fredy, Seeds, and many more.

Annabel Soutar is the Artistic Director and co-founder of the theatre company Porte Parole. While studying theater at Princeton University, where she earned a degree in directing and playwriting, she developed her documentary approach to theater. Since 1995, she has applied this approach to the plays she writes and produces, including Seeds, The Watershed, and Fredy. She also acted as dramaturge for J’aime Hydro, Tout inclus, Rose et la machine, and Projet Polytechnique. She is currently working with Manuelle Légaré on her upcoming play, Club Sandwich Mayonnaise. In 2003, The Montreal Gazette named Porte Parole “Theatre Company of the Year.” In 2015, The Globe & Mail recognized her as one of Canada’s Artists of the Year. In 2022, she received an Honorary Doctorate from McGill University for her commitment to using documentary theatre as a tool for social change.

Co-founder of Porte Parole alongside Annabel Soutar, Alex Ivanovici has been involved in all of the company’s documentary creations since its founding in 2000. For over two decades, he has contributed as a creator, actor, dramaturg, director, and investigator. Together, Annabel Soutar and Alex Ivanovici have made Porte Parole a leading voice in documentary theatre in Québec and internationally, with invitations to perform on three continents. Alex is also an acclaimed performer in theatre, video games, television, and film. He received the Best Actor award at the Quebec Drama Festival in 1991, was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Genie Awards in 1999, and earned two ACTRA Montreal Award nominations: for Outstanding Voice Performance in 2011 and Outstanding Performance in a Video Game in 2015.