This text is part of the special Spring Break booklet
For parents and children eager for the performing arts, here are some proposals for school break and even a little after.
festivals
The Festival de Casteliers, a great celebration dedicated to the arts of puppetry, finally reconnects with its public. Sat 17and edition, condensed into a busy week, is looming on the horizon with works from Mexico, the United States, Nunavut and Quebec. Take for example Innamorati (March 2 and 3), a skewer of contemporary musical pieces performed by the Quatuor Bozzini which will serve as the framework for Marcelle Hudon’s theater of objects.
We also note The tallest sister in the world (March 3 and 4), a tale by the Mexican troupe Mi’ño Teatro de Sombras, created from exchanges between the ñäñho and Kanien’kehá:ka nations around the sacred place of corn. The story is that of the quest of a young Ñäñho, who finds that the famous cereal is disappearing from her village. the solo Anatomical gig (March 3 and 4), by the Lone Wolf Tribe company, also attracts attention. Inspired by butoh, a traditional Japanese dance deeply rooted in the physicality, the work is at the crossroads of performing arts and puppetry. It deals with the human condition, more specifically with vulnerability and resilience. From March 2 to 6.
Music
Traveling through the power of words is what the show offers Arthur, the adventurer at the end of the world in Australia, at the Maisonneuve theatre. This is an adventure that is both musical and educational where young spectators will perfect their knowledge of Australian fauna and flora. The show will also stop at Salle Albert-Rousseau in Quebec City on March 6. March 2 and 3.
Circus
Every year, Place des Arts designs a special Spring Break program. Between shows, exhibitions and fun workshops, the choice is varied. We find among others Acrobatics and balance games, led by professionals from the National Circus School. Children from 4 to 12 years old will be able to discover different circus specialties. Performances will also be offered. From March 2 to 5.
Celestial, Cirque Éloize’s latest show, has been in residence at the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth since February 17 until the spring. This is a great event, because it is the first creation that the circus company has presented to the public since the pandemic. Public distanced in a configuration of 226 places, which represents less than 50% of the total capacity of the room. Celestial evokes the magic of the firmament and the mysteries of the great cosmos. And it is head in the stars that the languages of the circus, theater and music will be expressed. In residence until June 4th.
Theater
At Les Gros Becs youth theater (in Quebec City), the words of author Georges Perec materialize with the play Warning: flimsy, comic creation on the theme of excess. Two characters indulge in the game of arranging their living space while seeking the meaning of things. Within reach? Endless objects. Those we carry around and those we want at all costs without needing them. How to get out of it when the pressure to consume is omnipresent? Such is the thinking behind this piece, which is intended above all to be playful and critical. From 1er to March 13.
At the Theater House, Furioso is a show to discover and a good option to start this week off, since it ends on February 27. It is a modern chivalrous tale that draws on medieval folklore and the structures of the tales we all know. However, here we dust off the stereotypes associated with gender, thus reversing the roles. The distribution of puppets, of very varied shapes, brings to life a text by Olivier Kemeid in a staging by Simon Boudreault, artistic director of the Théâtre de l’Œil.
A few days later, it’s Lou in the night, from the Théâtre des Confetti, which will take the stage. On the theme of the fear of the dark, Maxime Robin’s creation uses a narration full of mysteries supported by video projections and architectural lighting that add an atmosphere of strangeness to the quest of the young character. If the tickets are sold out, do not hesitate to contact the theatre, places may become available at the last minute following cancellations. In addition, there are still availabilities for school sessions. Why not talk to your child’s teacher about it? From March 9 to 20.
The Aux Écuries theater will host the Worst Kind Monthevent-residence of the eponymous theatre, which will present four creations, including The unfinished story of Jimmy Jones and his celestial truck. Presented several times in a short form since 2016, this last piece will be shown in its long version for the first time in Quebec. It is a story of filiation between a father and a son. Especially that of the son, Jimmy Jones, who tries to free himself from the paternal image, in a fictional America of the 1950s. This show, which promises to immerse the audience in nostalgia, is also part of the programming of the Casteliers Festival and will be presented there on March 4. From March 9 to 19.