HOLLYWOOD HOSPITAL
From the late 1950s to the mid 1970s, Hollywood Hospital was one of BC’s most intriguing private clinics in British Columbia. Located in New Westminster and run by Dr. Ross J. Maclean along side the enigmatic Al Hubbard, the Hollywood Hospital contributed to making Canada one of the top countries in LSD research.
In the wake of Canada’s decision to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes, Hollywood Hospital explores our relationship to psychotropic substances and our yearning for altered states.
Gilles Poulin-Denis and his collaborators are working on a theatrical retelling of Audrey’s* personal story. Her journey takes the audience back in time as she uncovers how her grandfather is linked to the mysterious clinic. The piece offers an overview of the history of the psychedelic substance from it’s discovery to the current psychedelic renaissance.
*name has been changed
CREATIVE TEAM
Gilles Poulin-Denis : Originally from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Gilles Poulin-Denis is an actor, playwright, director, translator and dramaturg. His latest works include Straight Jacket Winter, an auto-fictional piece co-written with Esther Duquette, that toured the country from 2016-2019 and Ce qu’on attend de moi, a film performance created with a new audience member every night. Gilles has collaborated on numerous devised pieces such as ishow, Après la Peur and Gabriel Dumont's Wild West Show. His first full-length play Rearview is published by Dramaturges Éditeurs and was nominated in 2010 for the Governor general’s literary arts award. Wajdi Mouawad named Gilles as one of the resident playwrights at the National Arts Centre's Théâtre français from 2008 to 2012. Gilles is the artistic director of Productions 2PAR4 and currently lives in Vancouver.
Thérèse Champagne : Broadcaster, writer, actor, Therese Champagne has been involved in the world of communication and artistic creation for more than forty years. Born in Quebec, she lives in British Columbia since 1975. She is a pioneer of Vancouver’s main French theatre company Théâtre La Seizième. Her plays have been presented across Canada and she has performed in every Canadian province except Newfoundland and Labrador. An award-winning journalist and director, she worked for the French CBC for 30 years bringing television and radio stories of British Columbians to a worldwide audience. She has received international awards for her work in the longstanding public affairs TV shows La semaine verte and Second regard. Storytelling in its many forms is her lifetime passion.
Louis-Philippe Roy : Graduate of the University of Ottawa’s theatre department in 2008, Louis‐Philippe Roy has collaborated on many projects in the Ottawa-Gatineau region as a writer, theatre creator and director. He is co-creator and actor of the play Fucking Carl (Prix Rideau Awards Best new play in 2015), and is co-creator of the podcast play Néon Boréal (Sous la Hotte/Théâtre du Trillium/Transistor Média 2019-2020). Louis-Philippe was part of the writing collective les Poids Plumes and the artist group les Crisseurs de Feu Anonymes in the capital region. He collaborated as a director for many projects as part of his involvement with theses collective, most notably on Tapage et autres bruits sourds presented at the National arts Centre (2018). From 2010 to 2021, he was director of public relations and associate director at Théâtre du Trillium (Ottawa). Since 2020, he has been working on his latest play (Durant des années), Louis-Philippe also directs audio works and podcasts for Transistor Média, such as audio books for les Éditions de Ta Mère and Dans le bleu).