Festival de théâtre des amériques

June 1, 2, 3, 4
Monument-National
Théâtre du Maurier
French : 1h30

Stuntman Theatre
Like a backstage making of, this piece closely follows four actors who are caught in the tight squeeze of fundraising for a project they are completely committed to. During the course of rehearsals, a script that has been concocted by two language virtuosi begins to take shape onstage, focussing on the twists and turns in the lives of young artists in their early thirties. As superb language and movement stuntmen, the actors throw themselves into a series of short, syncopated scenes spliced together in a jazzy montage, merrily combining touching letters with hilarious skits (À propos de Kénédé é lé Kénédé, Celui que dont toutes les femmes le veulent, Les Chiens Martyrs canadiens, Le Cul de Sartre, etc.). Accompanied by a manic pianist, the actors bounce all over this trampoline of creation.

A true marvel, with pointed humour that brings to mind Tardieu, Prévert, Gainsbourg, Vian and others of their ilk. The audience is flabbergasted and ready to jump right back in.

La Presse

TEXTS		Bernard Dion et Benoît Paiement
DIRECTION AND WORD COLLAGES		Robert Reid
SET DESIGN		Jonas Veroff Bouchard
LIGHTING DESIGN		François Marceau

CAST		Francis Néron Benoît Paiement Christophe Rapin Félixe Ross Sylvain Bertrand (Pianist)

Groupe de Poésie Moderne
GPM was founded in 1993 by two writers, Benoît Paiement and Bernard Dion. Trained as an actor, Benoît Paiement performs in every GPM piece. In addition to writing for the theatre, his short stories have been published in Moebius, Possibles, Stop and Trois. As for Bernard Dion, whose writing is based on deconstruction of form and distortion of meaning, he is a regular contributor to literary events and art exhibits. The two co-founders rely on the directing talents of Robert Reid, who has directed all GPM plays to date. He delves deep into Meyerhold’s bio-mechanical technique, whereby the truth of art is conveyed through artifice. The performers include Christophe Rapin, whose work with the group goes back to 1994, as well as Francis Néron and Félixe Ross, who joined GPM in 1999. The music is composed and performed by Sylvain Bertrand, a pianist who is an avid experimenter.

GPM has created five performances since its inception: le Principe (1993), Imrajrinrez-vous (1995), I’Inutilitaire (1999), la Centième fois du silence (2000) — which was awarded the Prix du public Télé-Québec — and le Boson de Higgs, a first version of which was presented in March 2002 prior to a fall tour that same year.

Nouvelles Scènes
In 1997, the Festival de théâtre des Amériques created the Nouvelle Scène series, whose mission four editions later remains the same — to promote young artists in order to actively contribute to the emergence of new voices in the theatre by providing them with conditions that favour their discovery and advancement. In bringing together this year a generation of multidisciplinary artists, Nouvelles Scènes 2003 reasserts the dynamism and plurality of contemporary theatre in Quebec. In choosing unusual performance sites and forms that include performance art, theatrical walkabouts and staged installations, these artists challenge the norms of theatrical representation and the role of the spectator, questioning the social and political role of art and its place in the community.