Judy
PHOTO OLIVIER PONTBRIAND, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Author and director Gabrielle Lessard in 2017
This production, inspired by the work of feminist artist Judy Chicago, is one of the most anticipated creations of the theatrical season. With her new play, author and director Gabrielle Lessard offers a reflection on artistic freedom, identity and resistance to the antagonistic forces of society. “ Judy underlines the importance of art as a force for change and celebrates the capacity of the individual to reinvent themselves and to challenge established social norms”, we write on the website of the Center du Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui, where the show presented by seven performers will be presented.
Luc Boulanger, The Press
From January 29 to February 17, in the Michelle-Rossignol room of the Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui
Life-size Riopelle
PHOTO DAMIAN SIQUEIROS, PROVIDED BY 7 FINGERS
Circus artists Claire Hopson and Guillaume Paquin
To close the centenary year of Jean Paul Riopelle, Les 7 Doigts have created an immersive show during which approximately 150 of the famous painter’s most emblematic works will be projected at 360 degrees. On stage, circus artists will blend into this imagery as with this acrobatic dance number, performed with infrared movement sensors, which will help create in real time a digital mosaic typical of the large canvases of the 1950s. At the same time At this show, a multimedia exhibition of Riopelle’s works will be presented in an adjacent studio.
Jean Siag, The Press
From February 13 to March 10 at Studio des 7 Doigts (2111, boulevard Saint-Laurent)
Sister donkeys
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Yves Jacques and Mathieu Quesnel will create Sister donkeys.
Yves Jacques and Mathieu Quesnel form an astonishing duo in the Quebec theater community. Friends and accomplices both on stage and in life, the star of Decline of the American Empire and the actor of SNL Quebec are collaborating once again on a promising creation on the stages of the Théâtre Espace Libre, this winter, entitled Sister donkeys. “This intimate comedy depicts in an offbeat way and with a good dose of humor the story of two men who try to overcome loneliness in their own way,” summarizes the press release. A celebration of life, theater and intergenerational friendship.
Luc Boulanger, The Press
From February 20 to March 2 at L’Espace Libre
SLAM!
PHOTO STÉPHANE BOURGEOIS, PROVIDED BY LE DIAMANT
SLAM!
We know Robert Lepage’s passion for wrestling, but also his penchant for the circus. The director combines these two passions for the first time by teaming up with the Quebec collective Flip Fabrique to present to us SLAM!, “a wrestling gala where punches, rants and theatrical moves come together”, which will feature eight circus artists. This “hypertheatre” show staged by Lepage is co-produced by Le Diamant et la Tohu, which will host this show a few weeks later in Montreal.
Jean Siag, The Press
From March 5 to 9 at Diamant de Québec, then from March 19 to April 7 at Tohu
5 bullets in the head
PHOTO RICHMOND LAM, PROVIDED BY THE UNICORN
Maxim Gaudette, Sylvie De Morais and Éric Robidoux will share the stage in the play 5 bullets in the head.
The author Roxanne Bouchard immersed herself in the world of the Canadian army to bring back the testimonies of around thirty soldiers “who experienced Afghanistan”. The soldiers revealed themselves to the point of shaking the deepest convictions of the one facing them. This sensitive material is at the heart of the piece 5 bullets in the head, directed by François Bernier and defended by a solid cast of eight performers, including Maxim Gaudette, Éric Robidoux and Sylvie De Morais. A spectacle that promises to be confronting.
Stéphanie Morin, The Press
From March 5 to 30 at La Licorne
Message in a Bottle
PHOTO LYNN THEISEN, PROVIDED BY DANCE DANCE
Message in a Bottle unfolds to the music of Sting.
Sting’s greatest hits – Every Breath You Take, Roxanne, Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, Walking On The Moon, etc. – will be set in motion by British choreographer Kate Prince, known for promoting street dance in her country. On stage, the 15 performers from the ZooNation company move through 28 dance scenes which are inspired by the drama of migrants to tell a perilous human adventure, certainly, but one driven by hope, joy and resilience. An evening that promises to delight the eyes and ears, co-production of the renowned Sadler’s Wells Theater and Universal Music UK, presented by the broadcaster Danse Danse.
Iris Gagnon-Paradis, The Press
From March 12 to 16, at the Wilfrid-Pelletier room
The Seagull
PHOTO DAVID BOILY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The actor Renaud Lacelle-Bourdon is part of the cast of The Seagull.
“A young girl spends her entire life on the shore of a lake. She loves the lake, like a seagull, and she is happy and free, like a seagull. But a man arrives by chance and, when he sees her, out of idleness, kills her… Like a seagull. » Unlike Trigorin in his play, Chekhov does not need a subject to move us with his theater which mixes the profound, the insignificant, the sublime and the ridiculous… Like life. Catherine Vidal directs this classic of Russian theater, adapted by Guillaume Corbeil, with among others the actors Renaud Lacelle-Bourdon and Macha Limonchik.
Luc Boulanger, The Press
From March 12 to 30 at Prospero; and April 11 to 13 at the NAC French Theater in Ottawa
A heart inhabited by a thousand voices
PHOTO MAXYME G. DELISLE, PROVIDED BY ESPACE GO
Louise Laprade is one of the renowned performers who will bring the play to the stage. A heart inhabited by a thousand voices.
To say that this piece is anticipated is an understatement. Imagine: the incantatory words of Marie-Claire Blais (taken from the last novel published during her lifetime), adapted by Kevin Lambert and carried by a multi-star cast which notably includes Louise Laprade, Christiane Pasquier, Jean Marchand and Sylvie Léonard! In addition, Denis Marleau and Stéphanie Jasmin will be responsible for directing this show which recounts the end of life of a 93-year-old transsexual and recalls the great moments of activism for the rights of homosexual people which marked the last century.
Stéphanie Morin, The Press
From April 2 to 28 at Espace Go
Symphony of hearts
PHOTO KEVIN CALIXTE, PROVIDED BYDanse Danse
Rhodnie Désir presents his first work on a large stage, Symphony of hearts.
The brilliant Rhodnie Désir (winner of the 2020 Grand Prix de la danse and associated artist at Place des Arts) is betting on a very first large-scale show, bringing together 15 performers and 60 musicians from the Orchester Métropolitain conducted by Yannick Nézet -Séguin. It is the heart, its pulsations, its capsizing, which inspired the artist to the documentary approach. Drawing on the testimonies of specialists from the Montreal Heart Institute, she creates for her performers gestures inspired by the beats of the heart, but also by its faults and overflows, on a musical score created in collaboration with Jorane, the Engone sound designer Endong, the house band of his company, RD Créations, and the OM, all accompanied by immersive projections from the NFB. Blowing!
Iris Gagnon-Paradis, The Press
From April 4 to 6, at the Wilfrid-Pelletier room
Lysis
PHOTO CATHERINE LEFEBVRE, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Bénédicte Décary will play the character of Lysis in the play of the same name.
Twice, this large-scale spectacle has had its wings clipped by the pandemic. The wait is over: the public will finally be able to taste this adaptation of Aristophanes’ work by Fanny Britt and Alexia Bürger, directed by Lorraine Pintal. Bénédicte Décary embodies this angry Lysis ready to do anything to stop the inequities. His solution: encourage women to undertake a reproductive strike. A struggle which promises to shake the heroine in all spheres of her existence. This ambitious show will bring together nearly 20 performers and musicians around talented designers, including Philippe Brault on music.
Stéphanie Morin, The Press
From May 7 to 1er June at the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde