Quebec Scene

Infinitheatre ~ The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios

By Yann Martel
Directed by Bruce Smith
With Eric Goulem
Produced by Infinitheatre

Two friends. Two fates. Paul, 19, is dying. As a way of dealing with the unbearable, his friend makes up a story about the Roccamatio family of Helsinki, a fictional tale built around real events that marked the twentieth century. From the invention of the zipper to the Holocaust, this debut short story by Yann Martel – author of Life of Pi, winner of the 2002 Booker Prize – is a fascinating overview of the hopes and horrors of a century, suspended on the tenuous thread of a fatal diagnosis.

Presented in English.

* Post-show talkback with Yann Martel.
Yann Martel will read and discuss excerpts from The Facts Behind
the Helsinki Roccamatioson April 27 and 29.