THEATRE

Entre la chute et l'envol - Mise au jeu
Le Conte des Mendiants - La boutique du Conte
Les esthéticiennes de l'âme - Toxique Trottoir

Entre la chute et l’envol…
A walk through downtown Montreal - 12$
by Mise au Jeu
Thursday through Saturday at 5:30, 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 P.M.
Reservations: Hélène Laurent at 514-844-9830 - coordination@atsa.qc.ca
Payment at the event or online at Make a donation

A guide will greet you at Place Émilie-Gamelin, to share with you the stories of men and women who, one day, lost the balance in their lives...
During a 45-minute walkabout, he will follow in the footsteps of men and women who fell from their lofty perches, breaking their dreams as they crashed onto the asphalt. Perhaps this encounter with the harsh streets and graffitied walls will provide you with an intimate glimpse into the lives of those wandering souls who sometimes are just looking to take flight once more... with you!

The Mise en jeu interactive theatre troupe is comprised of versatile creators who parlay notions of play and theatrical constructs into works that promote dialogue, education and exchange. They have been doing so for over 15 years, throughout Quebec and, occasionally, abroad.

Mise au jeu is a community group working for the transformation and improvement of the social fabric. Its members are committed to the daily struggle against poverty and discrimination. Through commissioned interactive theatrical works, Mise au jeu focuses attention on societal issues for the likes of aid, human rights and other organizations to help them explore options for concrete solutions.

Le Conte des Mendiants by La Boutique du Conte (France)
with Rafik Harbaoui ans Kacem Mesbahi
Under the big top: November 22 and 25 at 7:30 P.M.
Walkabout: November 22 and 25 at 3:30 P.M.
Conference: November 24 at 4 P.M., with a Soupesoup!

A European vagrant, fresh out of the “big mill of social exclusion,” a prisoner to his rucksack and his own resourcefulness. An Arab beggar, freshly arrived from Algeria, with nothing to his name, proclaims himself a “brother to all beggars.” Welcome to Rafik Harbaoui’s Conte des mendiants (“a beggar’s tale”), in which two philosopher beggars transform the world and take us on a journey through the centuries, from the Andalusian period (“a golden age during which, in a flourishing, cultured and humanist Muslim-dominated Spain, Jews, Christians and Muslims lived in harmony”) through to the RMI and SDF years, where fear, cynicism and dehumanization have robbed us of our dreams and our thoughts...

Born in Beauvais in 1959, Rafik Harbaoui lived in Biskra, Algeria between the ages of 5 and 9. He returned to France, and Besançon specifically, in 1968. In 1981, his talent as an actor declared itself on the boards of the Théâtre des Épines, an amateur theatre company in Besançon. He saw in the theatre a door opening, a veil lifting. Tapping into his French and Algerian cultural heritage—the oral tradition of the Thousand and One Nights, the written works too—he began to fervently create and perform his own tales. In 1987, he founded the Boutique du Conte, which went on to become a full-fledged professional theatre company, performing its repertoire of tales and plays throughout France, Corsica, Guyana, Switzerland, Belgium, Morocco and, recently, Spain, Quebec and Algeria, at a clip of 80 to 100 appearances per year.

Inspired by symbolist theatre, the company draws its inspiration from popular tales and traditions. Based in Besançon since its creation, it performs in the suburbs, cities and rural areas. Its members are attuned to social and cultural realities and this informs their work and has allowed the company to play an active role on the cultural front through its mission to bring Art and Culture to a wider audience. The company’s works blend music, masks, puppets, dance and the spoken word.

Les esthéticiennes de l’âme by Toxique Trottoir
Saturday, November 24 - 6-8 PM

The “beauticians of the soul” propose a heretofore unheard-of approach to interior beauty. An ego massage, a trendy practice in these stressful times of ours, helps bruised or shrivelled egos to bloom. In punctual unison, the beauticians whisper, sing, nay proclaim the beauty of the specimen before them, and proffer true physical sensations by massaging their clients. Available as individual or group consultations, their quickie pamper sessions induce a state of openness, where laughter too plays a therapeutic role.

Enjoy a moment of sublime derision that really does a body good! Our clients said so!

www.toxique.ca