This text is part of the special school break notebook
During spring break, puppets, music, dance, theater, acrobatics and clowning will entertain young and old alike. Overview of a varied panorama offered in Montreal and elsewhere.
In theaters in Montreal
Dedicated to the arts of puppetry, the Casteliers International Festival, which is in its 19the edition, welcomes, from March 6 to 10, 11 creations from several regions of the world, including Quebec. These are all favorites of the artistic director of Casteliers, Louise Lapointe.
In Theater block, for children aged three and over, “wooden blocks become animals and characters who move accompanied by original music. This show is without words, like some of our other performances,” explains M.me The point. Funny and sweet, String games, also for toddlers, mixes clowning, object theater and puppets. As for To sleep wella shadow theater, it plunges into the heart of the night, dreams and poetry.
For young adolescents, the opening show, LOCOexplores the limits between madness and reason in a surreal tale. Lunch with Sonia, presented in English and Spanish with French surtitles, combines dance, puppetry, music and video to tell the real story of the troupe’s founder, whose aunt requested medical assistance in dying. “This work deals with the themes of life, love and loss in a tender way,” underlines the director.
The Cinquième Salle at Place des Arts hosts multiple shows during spring break. Kid Koala presents, from February 29 to March 3, The Storyville Mosquito. Miniature sets, puppets, film projections, musical performances, the show, intended for ages 6 and over, is performed, filmed and projected live on stage.
Presented on March 10, for the same audience, The origins of the bing bang! traces the evolution of rhythms around the world by telling the story of two percussionist friends who must take on an important challenge.
Finally, on March 8 and 9, Arthur the Adventurer offers his new show, The treasures of Morocco. He sings about his discoveries of exotic animals and Moroccan souks, his crossing of the Sahara on the back of a camel and his moments spent in bivouacs with a fascinating nomadic population. The show is also presented on March 3 at the Palace de Granby.
For its part, the Maison Théâtre offers, for ages 4 to 10, from February 25 to March 3, Drink. It is a piece in which characters made from pieces of wood attempt to pick a strange leaf that grows on a dead branch. Without words, the show reflects in particular on the efforts that we sometimes have to make to achieve our goals.
Then, on March 10, at the Maison des arts in Laval, storyteller Renée Robitaille, in Papa Bear, combines narration and play of light and shadow to offer a creative and comical answer to a big question. How do we make babies? For ages 4 and up.
Free shows in Montreal
The Georges-Émile-Lapalme cultural space at Place des Arts presents, from March 6 to 9, Canary Prince. A yellow prince like a canary ventures into the forest of tales and meets wacky characters. Storyteller Eveline Ménard combines narration, music and origami to make little ones dream.
For ages 5 and up, La Tohu offers, from March 4 to 8 and by reservation, Pile Up, which exposes a world made of trash and obsolete objects. Working to grow their trash pile, two raccoons encounter animals facing ecological disruptions that threaten their survival. Spectators will have to help the raccoons rescue their new friends. In A to Z, Zoé meets, at the Lajoie campsite, Ma’ame Harvey and Johnny the jobbeux. Zoé also becomes friends with Adrienne, who is her exact opposite. The piece is an ode to the local language and a questioning of identity.
Several cultural centers also offer free shows, with reservations, for the whole family. For example, for the circus, we can see, on March 5, Circus Opus at the Maison de la culture Notre-Dame-de-Grâce on Monkland Avenue, in which Maestro and Presto present their impressive acrobatic tricks.
On March 6, at the Maison de la culture Ahuntsic, the Duo Hoops offers Rock, paper, hoop. Hooping, juggling, acrobatics and surprises are on the program. Outside the Robert Bélanger House, on March 8, a cloud and snow shoveler plays the clown, in Brrr. He juggles and plays music while his collection of shovels is balanced on his chin. In music, March 2 at the St Jax center, The path of a thousand shootsa violin show, singing and contemporary dance, invites children to explore imaginary paths. THE journey in song by the duo Les Pères Pétu, presented on March 6 at l’Entrepôt, Lachine’s cultural center, reveals the history of local music. Still in music, the Maison de la culture Mercier, on March 8, offers a musical rereading of the Wizard of Oz.
For the family outside the island
From February 24 to March 5, in Terrebonne, the fifth edition of the Les Rendez-vous des tannant(e)s festival offers several multidisciplinary activities and shows at low prices. Some examples ? “The opening show, free, [est donné par] QW4RTZ, a quartet that sings a cappella. It will offer beautiful messages about the pre-adolescent period,” says Claudia Dupont, director of programming, reception and artistic development at the Société de développement culturelle de Terrebonne (SODECT). Brotipofor children aged 5 to 12, shows a clownish duo who, through comical arguments and acrobatics, learn the art of giving way to others or joining forces with them.
Indigenous artist Ivy offers The Legend of Glooscap where “words, singing, drums tell the story of the creation of the world according to Mi’kmaq culture. Bewitching! » specifies Mme Dupont. Prince Pantherfor ages 9 to 13, mixes theater and music “and takes the audience into the mazes of the imagination where everything becomes a big party,” explains the director.
On March 10, in Beloeil, L’Arrière Scène welcomes, for 4 to 9 year olds, The treasure, last work by Pierre-Paul Savoie before his death, renowned choreographer and founder of PPS Danse. “Presenting this work is a way of paying homage to him,” explains Jean-François Guilbault, artistic director of L’Arrière Scène. Accompanied by original music by Alexandre Désilets”, the show relates the boredom of two children cloistered at home on a rainy day, while their cat Piano comes to rescue them from their lethargy.
In Longueuil, the Théâtre de la Ville presents I’m coming to your place!, a traditional Quebec music show from the group Bon Débarras which combines songs, music and anecdotes. Still at the Théâtre de la Ville, Octavea clown circus show for the same audience, tells the story of a grandfather who provokes hilarious and touching situations to postpone his move.
Finally, on March 3, at the Center Marcel Dulude, in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, The neighbors presents two different women who, through theater and clowning, irritate each other.
In Quebec
Les Gros Becs, a youth theater dissemination center, offers, from February 20 to March 10 and for 4 to 9 year olds, theatrical and musical tales Éloi, the oboe who lost his A. The story is that of a young boy who, in order to participate in a concert, goes in search of his there lost. Magic, crazy instruments and fun guaranteed!
At the Grand Théâtre de Québec, it is Atlas Géocircus which, in Atlas in spaceastonishes 4 to 12 year olds and sets off to conquer space through circus, tightrope walking and juggling acts.
From March 2 to 10, the Quebec library welcomes Lady Cupcake, which takes the audience on its circus adventures from the top of its freestanding hoop. A taste surprise awaits the little ones at the end!
In Poetry delivery by the Pizza Man, the character of the Pizza Man recites dynamic and playful poems to children, who are invited to sit on his immense pizza-shaped skirt. A great first contact with this literary genre. In Loretta, the audience helps the character prepare a dish that will impress the guests at a grand banquet. Finally, the clown cooks Pépé Roni and Mama Mia, in an extravagant delirium, cook up a recipe combining circus, music and antics in To the soup!
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