It is through a declaration of love for Montreal that the circus company Les 7 Doigts signs a strong comeback on stage, after two heavy years of pandemic. And this stage is that of the brand new Studio-Cabaret at Espace St-Denis.
Not only has this ultramodern and multimedia room been designed to be able to host shows of all kinds, including circus, on a regular basis, but it will also be able to receive television sets during school breaks.
With My island, my heart, Les 7 Doigts approaches Montreal from the point of view of a newcomer, in this case an Argentinian named Pablo. In the extract which was presented to the media on Thursday, Pablo is received at a party, in winter, in the heart of an apartment where roommates and neighbors mingle. A decor worthy of a Beau Dommage song…
“It’s the kind of party where the coats pile up in the bedroom, and the winter boots are in the bath. Where someone brings a guitar. It’s an introduction to Quebec! says Didier Lucien, who acts as emcee in the show.
Several of the scenes evoked there draw directly on the experience of director Shana Carroll, who is also one of the founders of Les 7 Doigts.
It was in the 1990s. She was 21, had come from San Francisco, her hometown, and attended the National Circus School here. “There are a lot of things in the show that are my own memories,” she says. After touring all over the world, notably with Cirque du Soleil, she decided to settle in Montreal, for good, and co-found Les 7 Doigts.
“In 2002, when I founded my company, I made the choice to stay in Montreal,” she adds. I tried to understand why I had chosen Montreal. And it’s because of a sense of community, a warm side. I have a friend who told me she was treated like a stranger in every city except Montreal. That here, she felt at home. »
At that time, the favorable cost of living attracted many artists here, especially from elsewhere in Canada, she recalls.
A city, stairs
As the central setting of the show, Shana Carroll chose one of these exterior staircases so typical of the city. “I remember when I used to ride my bike upstairs,” she says. She also promises, throughout the show, to explain the presence of these exterior staircases in the city.
The one present on the stage will eventually turn, promises Didier Lucien, speaking of the many features offered by the new room, including the possibility of using projections, both on the stage and on the walls around the seats of the spectators. “We constantly transform the scene, as if it were a show that had cost eight million! he said.
Already, Thursday, we could see one of the characters skating in the middle of the room on synthetic ice, according to a technique that Shana Carroll developed in particular while working on the show Crystal from Cirque du Soleil.
A restaurant and a terrace bar
This cabaret hall is only a milestone in the vast Espace St-Denis development project led by France Film, which owns the premises. In October, the group plans to open a restaurant, as well as a bar, the Marie-Louise, which will be on the terrace, with a space reserved for the winter, says Lyne Dufresne, director of the establishment of the Espace St-Denis. “It is Jean Pilote who opens the restaurant”. He should shortly announce the name of the restaurant as well as its chef,” she adds.
Eventually, the project aims to redevelop the main hall of St-Denis, as well as the Cineplex Odeon Quartier latin cinema, on rue Émery, which are also part of the complex.
With its new multifunctional Studio-Cabaret, the St-Denis hopes to be able to keep shows running longer and thus better face competition from suburban venues.