2023-08-13 19:59:57
Canadian astronaut David St-Jacques was among the spectators present Friday at the Maison de la culture Francis-Brisson in the Grand-Mère sector in Shawinigan. He came to attend a performance of the play “Objectif Terre” inspired by his life and his space mission.
David St-Jacques collaborated in the development of the show with the author and director Bryan Perro. He even read the script but hadn’t had a chance to see the play yet. He felt a little anxious but mostly curious to see the end result.
“After years of collaboration, it’s fantastic to have this medium which is extraordinary, which is very buoyant, because space is a source of dreams and inspiration for everyone, I think, no one do not remain indifferent. »
The astronaut was particularly eager to chat with the actor Rémi-Pierre Paquin who plays him, which finally happened a little earlier during the day.
“He represents what the public thinks of me, as if he embodied the character that people perceive of me. That’s what interested me there. My career, my space experience, it’s personal, but I know it means something to the public and it’s important for me to understand that. »
Dressed in his traditional Canadian Space Agency blue suit, David St-Jacques enjoyed a walkabout before the start of the performance and met several children who were visibly impressed to meet this larger-than-life man. It is important for Mr. St-Jacques that young people can see this play. Who knows: a flame may be lit in a future astronaut who will attend the show.
“The space program is extraordinary for that. In time, it is over generations. The astronauts who will one day go to Mars, the engineers who will manufacture the rockets, the scientists who will be behind them, these people have been born but they are still children! Their dreams must flourish. I like to think that with the space program, we don’t really manufacture rockets, we manufacture dreams and our raw material is children’s dreams, that’s where it ultimately comes from. »
During his speech, he addressed the future generations who constitute the next generation.
“I didn’t start out as an astronaut because of my university degrees. I started because I was a child with dreams, then there were adults who supported me, there were teachers who taught me. »
The president of the Canadian Space Agency, Lisa Campbell, also graced the room with her presence on Friday evening. Other dignitaries took part in the event, including the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, the federal deputy for Saint-Maurice-Champlain, François-Philippe Champagne, the provincial deputy for Laviolette-Saint- Maurice, Marie-Louise Tardif and the mayor of Shawinigan, Michel Angers, accompanied by the entire municipal council.
The performances of this second summer season at the Maison de la culture Francis-Brisson ended on Saturday. The piece will hit the road over the next year to tour Quebec. About fifty dates are already on the calendar, both in a version adapted for a school audience and for performances for the general public. The troupe will perform in particular in Granby, Gatineau, St-Jérôme, Terrebonne, Val d’Or, Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Drummondville and Montreal.
David St-Jacques on the set of Objectif Terre with actor Rémi-Pierre Paquin, author and director Bryan Perro, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry and Member of Parliament for Saint- Maurice-Champlain, François-Philippe Champagne, actress Anne Trudel and members of the production team Geneviève Désaulniers and Maxine Pétrin. (Photo: Culture Shawinigan)
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