Edwige Jean-Pierre is a fluently bilingual actor and playwright of Congolese (Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville) and Haitian descent. She was born and raised in Ottawa and is a University of Ottawa and Studio 58 graduate.
Her writings include SOS/MS/ASAP (The Wrecking Ball Toronto #11); Even Darkness is Made of Light (Not My Pig Not My Farm Productions/Summerworks Festival, Ohio Northern University, AfriCanadian Playwrights’ Festival, Rhubarb Festival); Our Lady of Spills (Theatre Archipelago); as Saint Bitch bcurrent’s rock.paper.sistahz festival, Spotlight on the Performer/Creator: Buddies in Bad Times Theatre); The Big Mess (Obsidian Theatre: The Mussorgsky Project I/Factory Theatre’s Crosscurrent Festival) and Lick’n Seal (Hysteria Festival, Cheap Queers, Edgy Women Festival, Dat Girl Sho is Funny, The Summerworks Performance Gallery).
She has also attended The Stratford Festival’s third annual Playwrights’ Retreat. Works in development are Psychic: The Musical (bcurrent) and a collective creation commissioned by Théâtre Français de Toronto. She is a past member of Obsidian Theatre’s Playwright Unit and Tarragon Theatre’s Playwright Unit.
In her answers to the Proust Questionnaire, Edwige tells us her greatest accomplishment, her motto, her most admired historical figure and more.
The Proust Questionnaire was not invented by Marcel Proust, but it was a much loved game by the French author and many of his contemporaries. The idea behind the questionnaire is that the answers are supposed to reveal the respondent's "true" nature.
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What is your dream of happiness?
To be with the people I love.
What is your idea of misery?
Having a job you hate.
Where would you like to live?
On a tropical island — especially right now!
What qualities do you admire most in a man?
Able to show vulnerability.
What qualities do you admire most in a woman?
Able to show vulnerability.
What is your chief characteristic?
Patience.
What is your principal fault?
Stubborness.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Belmont Milds.
What faults in others are you most tolerant of?
Tardiness.
What do you value most about your friends?
Loyalty and Honesty… live together in perfect harmony… side by side…
What characteristic do you dislike most in others?
Narrow-mindness and bigotry.
What characteristic do you dislike most in yourself?
My lame jokes. See question 10…
What is your favourite virtue?
Compassion.
What is your favourite occupation?
Artist (in my case, acting and writing).
What would you like to be?
A full-time artist.
What is your favourite colour?
Purple, rouge vin (sorry, don’t know the word in English).
What is your favourite flower?
Exotic Pink Roses.
What is your favourite bird?
The Lesser Striped Swallow.
What historical figure do you admire the most?
Rosa Parks.
What characters in history do you most dislike?
Hitler, Papa Doc, Baby Doc
Who is your favourite poet?
Maya Angelou
Who is your favourite hero in fiction?
Atticus Finch
Who is your hero in real life?
My mother.
Who is your favourite painter?
Dali.
Who is your favourite musician?
Jimi Hendrix.
What is your favourite food?
BBQ ribs and for dessert, Too Tall Tuxedo Truffle Cake. YUM!!!
What is your favourite drink?
Strawberry Margarita.
What are your favourite names?
Cassandre (en français), Océanne, Mathilde, Virginie, Cécilia
What is it you most dislike?
Injustice.
What natural talent would you most like to possess?
To be a great guitarist.
How do you want to die?
In my sleep.
What is your current state of mind?
A “New York State of Mind”… get it? “New York State of Mind”? (Sigh!) See answer to question 12.
What do you consider your greatest accomplishment?
The opportunities of share my plays, sketches and monologues with others.
What is your motto?
Aide-toi et le ciel t’aidera. (Help yourself, and heaven will help you.)
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Check back for more Proust Questionnaires with Canada's literati in this latest series of interviews on Open Book.
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