Stage echoes | Micha Raoutenfeld: question of identity

Micha Raoutenfeld is part of the new cohort of artists who received a grant from the Michelle-Rossignol Endowment Fund for the creation of Papeça, his solo currently on display at the Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui. The queer and non-binary artist will also be part of the show’s cast The End of the Red Man, at Quat’Sous, this winter. Encounter.

A journalist forewarned is forearmed. Before the interview, we received an email from the show’s publicist to remind us “again of the importance of using the right pronouns for hey and the right terms for transidentity” from Micha Raoutenfeld.

“It’s normal, language evolves quickly. But it’s a good thing, because language helps to open doors and access other universes,” Raoutenfeld kindly tells us, when (despite our good faith), we use the wrong term during our interview. “There are nuances between gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation. The evolution of language makes it possible to clarify what differentiates us as human beings, because it is a complex experience, being human. »

In the world of contemporary theater, creation sometimes seems to advance faster than language. When they were studying at the National Theater School, in acting, Micha still identified as a woman and was called Charlotte. Upon its release in 2021, Charlotte became Cha, a queer transdisciplinary artist (the promotion of the show also displays this first name). Today, Micha is experiencing his transition in openness, acceptance and happiness.

His double identity is part of his artistic approach, linked to the margins, deconstruction and “a questioning of dominant patterns”. “I have as much masculinity as femininity in me. I identify neither as a woman nor a man. Non-binarity is a way of seeing and experiencing the world. By deconstructing the codes, we approach gender as a spectrum,” says Micha, making a hand gesture to illustrate a rainbow.

A promise of freedom

“Non-binarity is also a promise to myself that I repeat to myself every day. Or to give myself permission to be who I am, beyond social codes… that I did NOT choose! I give others the same permission, and I leave them alone! No one is free until everyone is free,” he summarizes.

If his work is influenced by his multiple identities, his show does not really talk about transidentity. At least, not head-on. “It’s part of the plot, without being put forward. Papeça is an initiatory story that draws inspiration from myths and the intangible to explore desire. There are elements of my experience, but the proposal goes beyond my intimate experience. For me, the stage remains a place of transcendence. A collective ritual. »

To put an end to misinformation

Papeça is part of a trilogy of initiatory stories, propelled by the body, music and words. With his creations, the performer, who also signs the text and the direction, wishes to reach out to the public, beyond the biases and prejudices about transgender people. “Right now, there is a lot of misinformation about gender identity. It’s a social debate. But a person’s existence should never be up for debate. I am a person. I exist. Why question my existence on every platform?! »

Hence the importance of the performing arts, according to them, to break down barriers and put the public in contact with diversity. “I find it revealing that the deconstruction of genres causes such a stir among people. If [la théorie des genres] provokes such strong reactions, it proves that the genre is harsh, rigid, dictatorial,” believes Raoutenfeld.

They tell us that they were influenced by the work of Nelly Arcan, read as a teenager. “I think that if Nelly Arcan were still alive today, she could have found “salvation” [un salut] in transidentity. When she talks about “the prison of femininity”, I understand very well. I endured this confinement. Until the day I freed myself from it. Otherwise, my destiny would have been the same as Nelly Arcan…”

Do not miss

Indigenous Drama Week

A new theatrical event will take off on January 29 at La Licorne. Its name: Indigenous Drama Week. It is an opportunity for the public to discover texts from English-speaking indigenous dramaturgy translated into French and presented in this form for the first time. Three public readings followed by meetings with the artists are planned. Among the lot, we find several indigenous performers often present on our stages, including Charles Bender (one of the event’s curators), Dominique Pétin, Étienne Thibeault, Dave Jennis and Alexia Vinci. From January 29 to 31.

Stéphanie Morin, The Press

Membrane

The very first queer science fiction novel published in the Chinese language, Membrane, by Taiwanese writer Chi Ta-wei, arrives on the stage of Prospero in a theatrical adaptation by Rébecca Déraspe. Director Cédric Delorme-Bouchard leads a cast of six actors, including Larissa Corriveau (who plays the main role here), Evelyne de la Chenelière and Sébastien René. The show, situated between dystopia and utopia, focuses on an essential question: what defines the human being? From January 23 to February 10.

Stéphanie Morin, The Press

The awakening of spring

Adolescent sexual awakening, with its taboos and tensions, is at the heart of the play The awakening of spring, presented at the Théâtre Denise-Pelletier. The text signed by playwright David Paquet (and largely inspired by the work of Frank Wedekind) is carried by a cast of 10 actors who play these young people awkwardly trying to decode their nascent or overflowing impulses. Olivier Arteau signs a production which combines “acrobatics, burlesque and tragedy”, according to colleague Luc Boulanger. From January 23 to February 17.

Stéphanie Morin, The Press

The skid: the story of a blues band (national slide)

Mixture of singing and dialogue, the show The skid: the story of a blues band (national slide) traces the quest of Stevie Burnett, a Quebecer in search of his biological father. From Montreal to New Orleans via Chicago, this road trip theatrical unfolds with gospel, country or blues tunes, performed by seven actors/musicians. In the field: Stéphane Brulotte, Normand D’Amour and Frédérike Bédard. This musical tale is presented at the Cinquième Salle at Place des Arts on January 31. A tour across Quebec will follow.

Stéphanie Morin, The Press

Soul chain

This is a proposal that risks taking your breath away! First known for her work with the incredible Batsheva Dance Company, choreographer Sharon Eyal has been pursuing her path as an independent choreographer for around fifteen years. Here she joins forces with the artist Gai Behar, a leading figure in nightlife in Tel Aviv and curator of multidisciplinary artistic events. Together they created Soul chain for tanzmainz, a contemporary dance company from the Staatstheater Mainz in Germany, which is set to perform in Montreal for the first time thanks to Danse Danse. Winner of the German Der Faust prize, the piece for 17 dancers explores love and its visceral life forces, to the hypnotic techno rhythms of DJ Ori Lichtik. A liberating ballet on demi-pointes, which will transport you somewhere in a nightclub where bodies pulsate and exult. From January 23 to 27, at the Théâtre Maisonneuve.

Iris Gagnon-Paradis, The Press

Face to face

Eight-handed creation by two choreographers and two directors-Jérémie Niel, Catherine Gaudet, Louise Bédard, Félix-Antoine Boutin-Face to face was to be presented in 2020, but the pandemic decided otherwise. Finally presented in 2021, but with reduced gauge and distancing measures, the piece finally arrives in its desired form with this new series of performances at the Agora de la danse. On stage, Louise Bédard and Félix-Antoine Boutin draw a mise en abyme around the creative act, balancing on the border that separates reality from representation, treading the mixed territories of theater and dance. A proposition that blurs perceptions and plays with the viewer, to be seen or rewatched, from January 31 to February 3.

Iris Gagnon-Paradis, The Press