Getting to Know #Ubishops – Meet Benoit Brault

Getting to know your #Ubishops community is a must if you wish to fully immerse yourself into the BUbble! We decided to help you out by conducting monthly interviews with staff and faculty that contribute to the school’s success. This month we had the opportunity to talk to Benoit Brault, Technical Director of the Centennial Theatre.

Benoit Brault

Favourite book of all-time?
As geeky as it sounds (which is ok, theatre techs ARE geeks), I’ll go with The Lord of the Ring. If it needs to be more specific, I’d say book 1, which is the first half of the first tome called The Fellowship of the Ring. I’ve read it many times over and know it well enough that I can open all three tomes to any page and start reading from there when I have an afternoon to kill.

Favourite group or singer?
This one is harder to say. I have a soft spot for early Pink Floyd, Genesis, Deep Purple and other ‘70s British bands, but I appreciated diversity more than a specific style or artist. I think that’s part of what brought me to Centennial Theatre. From Gord Downie to Jesse Cook to ex-members of UZEB to Margie Gillis to symphonic orchestras to tribute bands; rare were the theatres and roadhouses that could boast a more rich and diverse programming. Centennial Theatre’s own series were, unfortunately, one of the most closely kept secret of the Eastern Townships.

Favourite movie of all-time?
Ah, there are so many! I think I’ll go with James Cameron’s Aliens (that’s the second movie of the franchise). An iconic movie that started or confirmed many tropes in science-fiction and other media, games, and popular culture. I’m just upset that they killed Newt and Corporal Hicks in the prologue of Alien 3. Why did they have to kill Newt and Corporal Hicks!?!

Favourite spot on campus?
Seat K 101 in Centennial Theatre, when the artists are gone for supper and the patrons and staff haven’t started to arrive yet. My lights are running warmly, the theatre is serenely silent and comfortably dark; it’s a grounding moment in an otherwise hectic day. I can rarely afford to stay inactive for long but in that very moment, that very seat is by far my favourite spot on campus.

Favourite spot off-campus?
My home in Stoke obviously comes to mind but outside my daily life, there’s a little creek in the Moe River behind the Camping du Pont Couvert in Milby where we can play in the rapids and swim in the ponds. We go there occasionally with the kids and in the summer, I sometimes go there alone just to walk on the rocks along the river.

Favourite #Ubishops moment?
Being here since 1998 as a student, I have many great or marking moments here at Bishop’s, such as when my wife proposed to me at the end of a treasure hunt (that would reveal the ring), or the surreal E.T.-esque installations of the hazard-cleaning company following the 2010 flood. But one of my most magical moment in my life was a show by Lily Frost performing on Centennial’s stage, circa 2007. It had been snowing all day and the artists were inbound from Toronto. The show was scheduled for 8pm but the band only arrived at 8h15! Our patrons were waiting in the lobby, many of them being late themselves due to the snowstorm, and we did a 5-minute soundcheck with the guitarist while Lily was changing in the dressing rooms. Despite the rushed installation, it turned out to be one of the best shows we ever had the pleasure to host. It was a truly enchanting night that, somehow, wouldn’t have been the same if it weren’t for the weather that day.

Describe #Ubishops in three words.
…be here forevermore!

If you had to switch jobs with someone on campus, what would it be and why?
I wouldn’t exchange my position for all the money in the world! The schedules are crazy, the deadlines are inflexible, and the workdays are super intense, but I can’t imagine a more stimulating and fulfilling job.

If you had to join a club or student group on campus, what would it be and why?
I’d love to join students in a gaming or roleplaying games club, but there hasn’t been any in years. Hum, I wonder if that’s something I should start…

If you had to go back to school, which program would you pick and why?
I think I’d go back to fine arts. I love pure sciences and I would probably major in that as well, but I know that I’m more an artist than a scientist at heart.


Related Posts

Leave a Reply

Archives