Review: (Montreal) Amours fatales

(Photo by Catherine Asselin-Boulange) 

Fatal Theatre Attraction
by Aleksandra Koplik

When entering Espace Libre’s black box theatre, the overwhelming sounds of snarling and heavy breathing echo in the room – a definite warning of what is about to happen on stage. The audience sits on benches around a square platform filled with dirt, the centre of the action. When the lights go out and turn back on, four people dressed in animal skins jump onto the stage from the four corners of the room: two women and two men present throughout the whole play (Pascal Contamine, Kathleen Fortin, Marie Lefebvre, Gaétan Nadeau). They are accompanied by a live narrator (Charles Préfontaine).

Review: (Montreal) Andreï ou le frère des Trois Soeurs

photo by Théo Gravereaux

Three Sisters Redux
by Aleksandra Koplik
@SashaVK

Anyone who is familiar with Chekhov’s work would agree that doing a spin-off of the Three Sisters is no easy task. Actually, it’s bloody impossible without ruffling a few feathers. This isn’t the “Joey” of “Friends”, for crying out loud.

The work’s creators Justin Laramée and Olivier Aubin set up camp in Espace Libre. The black box concept automatically warns you that this play steps outside the limits of traditional theatre. The stage is lit with a gigantic chandelier made of spotlights (to represent the wealth of the bourgeoisie). We see a three legged sofa (the fourth leg is symbolically held up by a stack of books), an old television, a cassette player/recorder and a line of tables in the very back containing all the props used by the actors during the 90-minute show. The actors have enough space to allow them the possibility to shift freely and exaggerate their movements.

Review: (Montreal) Ignorance

The Play of Puppetry

by Chad Dembski

A brand new French translation of Old Trout Theatre Workshop’s Ignorance is playing at the experimental venue Espace Libre, but only until Saturday the 19th.

Old Trout Theatre Workshop are from Calgary, Alberta and are an original creation puppet company who have been making very popular work since 1999.  Ignorance was recently at the Canadian Stage company in November and December of 2012 and was originally created at the Banff Centre for performing arts. I have heard about the company for many years and their most famous piece - Famous Puppet Death Scenes - was presented at the 2007 FTA festival, and Espace Libre presented The Erotic Anguish of Don Juan in 2009.  

Review: (Montreal) Changing Room

Beyond the stage and into the back
by Rebecca Ugolini

From the moment audience members enter Espace Libre’s performance space for a showing of the Nous Sommes Içi collective’s celebrated piece Changing Room, they know they aren’t in for just another night at the theatre. 

Hostesses are carrying trays of a blue-coloured, sweet-sour shot called Androgyne back and forth from the theatre’s well-stocked bar. Tables and chairs are arranged around the stage mimic a show club set-up, and a red-velvet-curtained stage complete with elaborate runway stands awaiting its performers. As soon as the lights dim and the disco ball starts spinning, Délice (Anne-Marie Coté) a big-haired, foul-mouthed, instantly-lovable drag queen hostess appears on stage and welcomes the audience to a night of cabaret numbers, laughs, and heart-to-hearts.