Follow the Fellow: The Blog Returns!

At Lac du Bois in 2023

View of the basilica on a lunchtime walk

A common sight as I write my master's thesis while here

It's the moment you've all been waiting for- Follow the Fellow is back! As Concordia Language Villages' 2024-2025 Dietrich fellow, I have the opportunity to travel for nine months, and the chance to share it with you here. Thanks to Mary Maus Kosir, the selection committee, and David "Dietrich" Oprava for making this possible. 

A little about me: My name is Claire "Miel" Derriennic. I have worked at Lac du Bois Bemidji as a counselor and leadership staff member since 2014. The end of this fellowship will mark my 10th summer on staff! In real life, I'm a theatre maker and teacher. I just earned my K-12 drama teaching certification and completed a Master's in Fine Arts in Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities at the University of Texas at Austin. Actually, I have completed everything except my thesis, which I am currently writing in various cafés across Montréal. 

Between September 2024 and May 2025, I will travel to five countries: Canada, Spain, France, Sénégal, and Mongolia. 

My boyfriend, Matt, and I have been in Québéc's largest city for 10 days so far, and we'll stay for a total of 7 weeks. I'm interning at a theatre for young audiences called Le Carrousel. Le Carrousel develops French-language performances for children and tours them throughout Québec and the world. Artistic Director Marie-Eve Huot is currently directing Joséphine et les grandes personnes (Joséphine and the grown-ups), a two-woman play for 7-12 year-olds. A self-proclaimed life coach for fellow children, Joséphine shares advice for dealing with adults. I've been lucky enough to observe rehearsals, projection meetings, and costume fittings of the show so far. I truly love it (not always a given!) and am excited to follow it into a workshop week at La Maison Théâtre, a large presenting house in Montréal. After La Maison Théâtre, the show will move to Théâtre du Bic, a beautiful theatre located near a national park a five hour drive away. In the spring, Joséphine will tour in France, and I may have the chance to see it while I'm there!

Marie-Eve is also remounting a piece for ages 5-8 called Une petite fête: Cabaret de la dissidence (A little party: Cabaret of dissidence). I'm excited to observe the process in October. 

I also attended a TYA new play festival at La Maison Théâtre this week. I'm enjoying getting to know the robust TYA scene in Montréal. Matt is taking drawing and French lessons, and trying a large number of cafés. Both of us have walked around our neighborhood- Les Faubourgs-as well as through Old Montréal, around McGill University, through the Latin Quarter and the Theatre District, and in a beautiful nearby park, La Fontaine. We also went to the second-best cocktail bar in Canada, Bar Cloakroom, and tried Harvey's, a Canadian fast-food chain where I ordered triple pickle poutine (French fries with chopped pickles, dill sauce, cheese curds, and a fried pickle on top). 

Some quick stats: 
Thesis words written: 4,416 
Plays seen/heard: Joséphine et les grandes personnes, Barbe Rose, Frankee, L'enfant de trèfle, Nos fulgurances
Cafés visited: Café Sfouf,  Osmo x Marusan Café-Terrasse, Crew Collective and Café
Français québécois learned: les bas NOT les chaussettes (socks), la crème glacée NOT la glace (ice-cream), un beigne NOT un beignet (a donut)

Follow me on Instagram @clairederr for more updates!

Enjoying(?) some Harvey's triple pickle poutine

Sandos from Osmo X Marusan, a Japanese café located in a historic building near La Maison Théâtre