Telling the stories of war and genocide through theater - Jenny Montgomery joins Montreal Life Stories

The objective of Montreal Life Stories is to collect and spread the stories of Montrealers displaced by war, genocide or other types of Human Rights violations. Once recorded on video, these intense, rich and powerful stories must be heard. The performing arts represent exceptional tools for spreading information as they can transmit all the power of emotions and allow the public to live through these difficult personal stories.

For the past two years our team has been developing new means of sharing life stories with the public, especially through theater. A new member has recently joined the team for the 2009-2010 year. Recipient of the Fulbright scholarship, Jenny Montgomery will be conducting interviews with Montrealers from different horizons, refugees and of Québecois origin, to create a one of a kind play!

A former student of Clemson University (Southern Carolina) and a member of the Lincoln Center Directors Lab (New York), Jenny Montgomery is also part of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (New York). Over the last seven years she has worked as a director in Chicago with a primary focus on Human Rights. She is the author of many plays based on her interviews with genocide survivors.

Jenny Montgomery will continue her work on cultural belonging and the “being at home” concept within pluralistic societies, under the supervision of Edward Little, professor of the Theater department of Concordia University. She wishes to use this opportunity to deepen her reflection on the concepts of acculturation and otherness.

For further information: www.histoiresdeviemontreal.ca