About the project

Manic Valerie is the goddess of violin playing. Depressed Valerie is most certainly not. Stable Valerie… maybe could have been, at some point. After BUYING A MUSIC SCHOOL during a manic episode, Valerie looks back on all the ways her bipolar disorder has impacted her music career and documents it all through music, anecdotes, and some good ol’ oversharing on the internet ;) A Joy that’s Mine Alone is the result of that documentation, a celebration on the road to recovery, and a reminder that it is never too late for all the tiny pieces that make up a life to realign after they scatter.

This project received financial support from the National Theatre School of Canada via the Art Apart program, an emergency fund for emerging artists who are affected by physical distancing due to coronavirus (COVID-19).

About the artist

Violette Kay is a playwright and multidisciplinary performer from Gatineau, Quebec. She studied violin at the Conservatoire de Musique de Gatineau before making the transition to theatre at John Abbott College. She then participated in Imago Theatre’s ARTISTA and Playwrights’ Workshop Montreal’s Young Creators Unit. Past projects include Adoration (Tantalus/Studio Porte Bleue), The Order of The Poor Ladies (Revolution They Wrote) and Fridge Horror (Little Black Rain Cloud). You might also find Violette behind a desk at Geordie Theatre, puppeteering various household objects, or busking at your local metro station.