The Churchill Protocol
“loopy, entertaining, and sometimes biting satire”
– Ottawa Citizen
Written and performed by Patrick Gauthier & Kris Joseph
Directed by Natalie Joy Quesnel
Production Design by Sarah Waghorn
Original Music by Graham Collins
Appeared at Fringe Festivals in Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton and Vancouver, June-Sept 2007
Winner of a 2007 Rideau Award for “Best New Creation”
A hit at Fringe Festivals across the country, The Churchill Protocol was written and performed by Patrick Gauthier and Kris Joseph, and directed by Natalie Joy Quesnel. Production design was by Sarah Waghorn, with original music by Graham Collins.
“one of those productions you can’t always count on finding at the Fringe. To wit: a new and topical pocket Canuck satire with a Strangelove-ian conspiracy premise, outrageous characters, real actors, sharp direction, and a sting… funny, furious, and smart… four stars.”
— Edmonton Journal
A Canadian journalist is tipped off by an airport ground crew member: secret flights are landing near the Polar Bear Jail in Churchill, Manitoba. These flights are coming from Afghanistan, landing in the middle of the night… and are carrying live cargo. Could Canada be building its own secret prison?
An Armed Forces insider has agreed to meet the journalist and give him the biggest news story of his career. This darkly comic play illuminates their fateful meeting, while presenting a complete and mind-boggling picture of what, exactly, is going on in the old military building near Churchill.
RIDEAU AWARD — Best New Creation (2007)
BEST IN VENUE — Ottawa Fringe (2007)
Critic’s Pick — Outstanding Performance
— NOW Magazine, Toronto“note-perfect Fringe fair.”
— VUE Weekly (Edmonton)
“This satire of the Canadian military has some of the funniest comic set pieces of the Fringe”
— EYE Weekly, Toronto“think Dr. Strangelove shot in Churchill, Man. by the National Film Board”
– Ottawa Sun“one of the best Fringe shows that I have seen in many years of attending. Great script, great performances, who could ask for anything more? ****1/2 (out of five)”
— Suite101.com
