Casteliers Festival | The puppet in all its states

The Festival de Casteliers, devoted to the art of puppetry, is back in various venues in Montreal, from March 2 to 6. On the program for this 17^and edition: 11 shows that showcase a variety of techniques and whose content is not necessarily aimed at children. Here are four that piqued our curiosity.

Stephanie Morin
The Press

The tallest sister in the world

This shadow theater show comes directly from Mexico and focuses on the importance of corn in indigenous culture. We meet Däxi, a young girl of ñäñho origin, who discovers that all the corn in her village has disappeared. For her, it will be the start of a great adventure… The show is presented at the Maison internationale des arts de la marionnette on March 3 and 4; the text is in French and Aboriginal languages. A presentation in English is also on the program on March 3. From 6 years old.

Arctic gossip

Greenland, early 1950s. A handful of solitary hunters scattered across the northeast of the island survive the harsh conditions by admiring the beauty of nature around them. Their improbable stories form the framework of this poetic comedy signed by the Montreal troupe La ruée vers l’or. This show, which notably combines table puppets and live sound effects, is presented in French on March 3 and 4 at the Théâtre Aux Écuries. From 10 years old.

Anatomical gig

The New York troupe Lone Wolf Tribe arrives in Montreal with this hybrid show where dance and puppetry go hand in hand. This wordless work is made up of various dreamlike tableaux performed by a dancer accompanied by skinned rubber puppets. Inspired by Japanese butoh, Anatomical gig aims to be a minimalist work whose precise choreography bears witness to the fragility, but also the resilience, of our human condition. At the Paul-Gérin-Lajoie-d’Outremont school auditorium, March 3 and 4. From 13 years old.

potato island

What happens when a night owl writer decides to make the Potato King – the owner of the canteen across the street – the hero of his new story? Well, the latter finds himself immersed in the middle of a far-fetched adventure where he will notably meet a very impolite King of the Flies. This show in French, imagined by the Montreal company Théâtre Magasin, is presented on March 4 and 5 at Théâtre Outremont. From 5 years.