Can you describe your view of the production of The Matchmaker of Montréal?
My next challenge was to write pure fiction, where there is no prior body of knowledge to fall back on. I admired the work of Oscar Wilde and the methods of Shaw. So I studied their techniques, and decided to write an Oscar Wilde-type play: using caricatures to amuse and make a commentary on society. So “Matchmaker” is the first such attempt. Now in Vancouver, the concierge in our condo in Coal Harbour challenged me to write a play about a concierge. So I obliged him, and this is doubly interesting because it enables me to describe the diversity in Canada, how one city Vancouver is so different from Montreal, which is so different from Toronto.
This trilogy is really about Canada, and each is based in one of these three cities. The third will be “The CEO of Toronto”. The themes in these plays are universal, and they draw on my experiences living in these cities.
How long did it take the playwright to write this theatrical play?
Initial draft – 6 weeks. Revised over the last 2 years
What do you want your audience to take away from this production?
Satire on our money culture.
Tell our readers about the lives of both Elise Fortin and matchmaker Martha Boisvert
Elise leaves her middle-class husband to find a rich man. Martha runs a matchmaking business in Montreal. Both are women who take charge of their destiny, but one is principled, the other is not.
How long has your production been planned to be performed at the Firehall Arts Centre?
Three weeks of rehearsals (only one in the Firehall), 2 weeks of performances in the Firehall.
If there is one thing you want the audience to grasp from your play what would it be?
Women are achieving success and are no longer victims and can successfully be satirized
The Matchmaker of Montréal by Shaul Ezer (Matchmaker Productions) plays at the Firehall Arts Centre May 23-June 2
