• Reading age: 11 to 13

In this absurd and apocalyptic young-adult comedy filled with dazzling wit and wild imagination, two teenaged outsiders at "one of the worst schools in the country" seem to be the only ones who understand or care that the whole world is a mess. Joan responds by attacking everyone around her: Olivier retreats. But when they are forced to run against each other for student council, it unleashes their determination to change: the system, and themselves. Winner of the 2022 Governor General's Literary Award for Drama in French.

David Paquet is a graduate in playwriting from the National Theatre School of Canada (2006) and lives in Montreal. His plays Porc-epic, 2h14, Appels entrants illimites, Les Grands-meres mortes, Le Brasier, Histoires a plumes et a poils, Le Soulier, Chansons pour le musee, Le Poids des fourmis and Papiers maches and Le Voilier (two one-man-shows of stand-up poetry he performs himself,) have gathered international praise and have been produced all over North America and Europe. David has won the Governor General's award (twice), the Michel-Tremblay award, the Sony-Labou-Tansi award (twice), the young audiences Quebec critic's choice award (twice), the Theatre d'Aujourd'hui audience choice award, a Jessie award and a Dora award. He also teaches playwriting and does dramaturg work for, among others, the National Theatre School of Canada, le Centre des Auteurs Dramatique and le Conservatoire d'Art Dramatique de Montreal.

Leanna Brodie is a writer and performer whose plays include The Vic, For Home and Country, Schoolhouse, and The Book of Esther. She is also a leading translator of contemporary Quebecois/Franco-Canadian playwrights. Recent premieres include David Paquet's Wildfire (Upstream Theater, St. Louis and Factory Theatre, Toronto: Dora Mavor Moore Awards for Best New Play, Director, and Production); Joe Jack et John's Violette (Espace Libre); Rebecca Deraspe's I Am William (Theatre le Clou and the Stratford Festival); and Fanny Britt's Benevolence (Ruby Slippers/Pacific Theatre). Published translations include Deraspe's I Am William and You Are Happy, Paquet's Wildfire and The Shoe, Louise Bombardier's My Mother Dog, and Catherine Leger's Opium_37. With co-writer Jovanni Sy, she is working on Salesman in China for the Stratford Festival. Brodie is currently Assistant Professor (Playwriting) at UBC's School of Creative Writing. www.leannabrodie.com

David Paquet's profile page

Leanna Brodie is an actor, writer and translator. Her plays (published by Talonbooks) include For Home and Country, The Vic and Schoolhouse, as well as CBC radio dramas Invisible City and Seeds of Our Destruction. She was the first Canadian invited to the ACT/Hedgebrook Women Playwrights’ Festival. She also translates Quebec drama into English—most recently, Louise Bombardier’s Ma mère chien and Hélène Ducharme’s Baobab. Her libretti were heard in Tapestry New Opera Works’ Opera to Go 2008; in David Ogborn’s acclaimed site-specific piece, Opera on the Rocks; and in Emergence, his song cycle featuring a singing robot. The Angle of Reflection, with New Zealand composer Anthony Young, was produced by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. This season, The Book of Esther, a love story about urban queers and rural evangelicals, premieres at the Blyth Festival. Schoolhouse has been seen by over 20, 000 Canadians in multiple sold-out runs, and is slated for further productions in 2010.

Leanna Brodie's profile page