Dave Richer | Return of a very ordinary man

Dave Richer, Brave? The actor grimaces. “That word, I’m not capable,” replied with the smile of the person about to perform his first comedy show, Laughter spasm. “I’m not brave, I’m not a superhero. I’m just an ordinary guy, with a little more life rough, who never stopped thinking that he belonged, like everyone else. »

Just an ordinary guy? His desire not to be looked upon with such disbelief that one reserves for the slightest achievement of a disabled person, however comprehensible, should not distract us from the truth: Dave Reacher—his course at least—is nothing out of the ordinary.

Rare are the actors, even less with disabilities, who have marked the fantasy of a Quebec couch potato in one scene, bringing them together in the series. Yasmine (1996) with Marie-Soleye Togas as a benevolent prostitute. A physical moment of vibrant originality, rarely seen on the small screen, which then marks a turning point in the representation of disabled sexuality.

“The monde m’en parle encore presque tous les days”, lance celui qui se réjouit d’encore occuper une telle place dans le coeur des gens, mais qui s’explique mal qu’on célèbre advantage son prétendu courage que d performance ‘actor. “It’s as if we’re having a hard time realizing that a disabled actor can be pretty or good.”

Despite a track record of nearly thirty roles since the late 1990s, Dave Richer has kept a low profile, both on TV and on stage, for the past 12 years, largely due to his boccia. This special needs sport, which was introduced thanks to his girlfriend, a physiotherapist to the national team, enabled him to win a bronze medal in 2011 at the Parapan American Games in Mexico and to participate in the 2012 London Paralympic Games.

“I left aside the game and humor, but during the pandemic it became clear to me that I should return to my first love,” explains the person who crossed the threshold of fifty, which he crossed last June, was suitable for ratings.

like music

“Do you think the world is ready for this kind of show?” Dave Richer asks the author of these lines about his first comedy show, Laughter spasm. Difficult Question It may be tempting to answer with an unequivocal yes. The topic of inclusion, in all its forms, is more than ever at the heart of the public space.

Despite his tangible positivity, Dave Richer struggles to find reasons around him for not concluding that people with disabilities remain confined to the blind spot of all efforts to ensure that the proverbial diversity shines on all platforms.

“I think the world is still afraid of not understanding me,” the actor laments, fearing that reality is unraveling too quickly.

“When I talk, it’s like music. At first, you don’t understand anything, but after two or three minutes you can pick up my pace. But the problem is that everything goes too fast and we no longer take the time to listen to others.”

universal questions

“It’s ironic, but the one who opened the door to humor for me was Mike Ward,” laughs Dave Reacher, referring to the Ward-Gabriel affair, which transformed his comic friend into the image of a despicable tormentor. The first number of joint numbers brought them together in 2003 at Just for Laughs, a festival in which the actor had already participated in 1998 by doing one of the main roles in the play. 15 seconds Written by François Archambault, which earned him the award for Best Performance of the Year in 1999.

In other words: self-deprecation has always been one of the main tools that allow it to be directed towards the other and this is how Dave Richer intertwines Laughter spasm New numbers for others drawn from the conference he’s been delivering to schools and businesses for 25 years.

While comic language sometimes seems, rightly or wrongly, to be cautious, the black humor lover takes great pleasure, he says, in saying things that “would never pass if they came out of anyone else’s mouth.”

But with topics like career, gender, and fatherhood – he’s the father of a boy and a girl of twelve and 10 –And Above all, Dave Richer hopes to make a comedy show… like the others! He asserts, “The show is about me, so it necessarily talks about disability, but in the end, I think people will leave with thoughts and questions of all of us.”

Laughter spasmApril 24 and June 19 at Lion d’Or, April 27 at ComediHa! Quebec Club