Des touristes débarquent dans un théâtre sans se soucier du décorum. Tour à tour craintif·ve·s ou amusé·e·s, clownesques ou négligent·e·s, les quatre comparses explorent les lieux, jouent, se testent et nous testent au rythme de petits accidents ordinaires. Le ridicule devient parfois fécond alors qu’ils se posent maladroitement des questions philosophiques.
Civilization and Its Discontents (Malaise dans la civilisation)
A PHILOSOPHICAL VIVARIUM
Walkers arrive in a theatre without caring about the decorum. Alternatively reserved or expansive, clumsy or careless, the four companions explore the space, jostling it and forgetting themselves in the rhythm of small ordinary accidents. Both philosophical and driven, their impulses will leave nothing untouched.
Through the sharp wit of their dramaturgy, the shrewd creative partnership of Alix Dufresne and Étienne Lepage shakes up both social and theatrical conventions, experimenting with the porous border between the stage and the house. Strange and playful, Civilization and Its Discontents allows us to observe complex, fascinating beings who innocently venture to the limits of morality. It’s touching—and disturbing.
(Source: FTA 2022)
Created in 2022
CREDITS
Directed by Alix Dufresne + Étienne Lepage
Written by Étienne Lepage
Performed and co-created by Florence Blain Mbaye + Maxime Genois + Renaud Lacelle-Bourdon + Alice Moreault
Set and costume design Odile Gamache
Light design Leticia Hamaoui
Music Robert Marcel Lepage
Technical direction and light design assistant Ariane Roy
PRODUCTION
Production Étienne Lepage
Executive producer DLD | Artistic direction Frédérick Gravel
Coproduction Festival TransAmériques + L’ANCRE – Théâtre Royal (Charleroi) + Maison de la culture Marie-Uguay + Espace Le vrai monde ? + Salle de diffusion de Parc Extension + DLD | Artistic direction Frédérick Gravel
With the support of Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec + Canada Council for the Arts