Festival Carrefour

Festival Carrefour brings the world to theatre-goers

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

editor@qctonline.com

The Festival Carrefour (formerly known as the Carrefour international de théâtre) returns for a 25th edition from May 22-June 7, with performances at the Théâtre Périscope, the Théâtre de la Bordée and Le Diamant and a range of free outdoor shows.

The festival offers immersive multidisciplinary experiences, festive cabarets, urban dance performances and original theatrical creations.

This year, the festival celebrates its quarter century with 11 shows and nearly 40 performances, both indoors and outdoors. Productions from Quebec, Canada, Belgium, France, Greece and Rwanda will be featured.

Highlights include Merci d’être là, an original interactive performance from Belgium; Maurice, inspired by the life story of a man with aphasia; Michel(le), an intimate tale about queer identity; Hewa Rwanda, Lettre aux absents, a poignant tribute to the victims of the Rwandan genocide; and La Petite dans la forêt profonde, a dark fairy tale for grown-ups presented in Greek with English and French surtitles.

Three other previously announced creations complete the program: the multilingual (French, English, Tamil and sign language) LACRIMA, a reflection on fashion; the surreal French-language spaghetti western The Rise of the BlingBling; and Kukum, based on the award-winning novel by Michel Jean.

Except for LACRIMA and Kukum ($55), tickets for the indoor shows are priced on a sliding scale from $10 (targeted at job seekers, people with low income and people who rarely attend cultural events) to $45 (targeted at people with stable incomes who want to show their support for the cultural sector).

Requiem pour Pupulus Mordicus, a free outdoor puppet parade through the streets of the Old City on June 1 (postponed to June 7 in case of rain), is not to be missed. The festival also features activities such as a movie night, creative workshops and a conference on new magic. Keep the party going on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at the festival’s pop-up bar, Le Zinc, at La Charpente des Fauves (206 Christophe-Colombe Est).

The popular free outdoor immersive show Où tu vas quand tu dors en marchant (Where do you go when you Sleepwalk) will bring back last year’s four interactive tableaux (tableaux typically change every other year) in a new setting, with support from the Ville de Québec. The show will be moved from the area around ExpoCité to Upper Town in a nod to the festival’s history. Place D’Youville will host Le grand marché de l’influence, Vésuve will take over the Îlot des Palais and La Nuit nous appartient will share Place de l’Artillerie with the Wendat mythology-inspired Yahwastsira’.

To explore the full program and reserve tickets, see the festival website at carrefourtheatre.qc.ca.