Odile Gamache | A theater of objects to counter dematerialization

Twice a month, The Press presents news from the world of theater, circus and dance, in Montreal and Quebec.

First show as author by Odile Gamache, The shop is a piece that pays homage to local businesses. A sensory experience where we see the soul of matter and objects come to life on stage.

Odile Gamache’s inspiration for her project Store, initiated with the artistic director of Prospero, Philippe Cyr, came to him during his wanderings, day and night, on Plaza St-Hubert. The set designer was challenged by the quantity of vacant premises and abandoned windows. “With the efficiency and popularity of online commerce, a whole aspect of neighborhood life will disappear with the closure of retail stores. I wanted to show our concrete relationship with objects and matter,” she says.

His Italian-style show is a cross between object theater, puppetry and installation. It features a store that takes us through its final evening, its last dance, its goodbye to its merchandise. “The store becomes a character here,” she continues. The public/customer is invited to admire the elements that make up its window: rotating displays, flashing canopy, antique-looking pedestals and baroque curtains. I am the manipulator and I operate with classic, very simple theatrical artillery. »

The dematerialization of everyday life

Odile Gamache wants to create a hypnotic ballet of objects, in a choreography of textures, fabrics and luminous atmospheres. At the heart of his proposal, there is this simple question: can scenography tell a story for an hour and generate emotions in the audience? She wants the latter to respond in the affirmative at the end of the performance. Because for her, designing an entirely artisanal theater in 2024 is “a way of resisting the dematerialization of our daily lives, the distance that has established between us and the earth”.

A graduate in scenography from the École nationale in 2013, Gamache arrived in the theater sector somewhat by accident. “I have always been curious about shapes and objects in art. I initially focused on architecture or graphic design. I opted for the School because my mother (Johanne Prégent) was making a documentary on the institution. »

What is different in a show when the author is also a set designer? “The result will be a warm and hypervisual spectacle. With, in the foreground, the light, the decor and the accessories which, in my opinion, speak to us with as much love as words. »

The shopfrom April 16 to 27, at the Prospero Theater

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Also on display

I will come less often

It is around discussions exchanged with her grandmother Pauline that the actress and playwright Camille Paré-Poirier built this theatrical show on the reality of close care. First presented in the form of a podcast, these intergenerational conversations between two deeply united beings form the framework of the acclaimed play during its appearance at the Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui in spring 2023.

At the Cinquième Salle at Place des Arts, from April 23 to 27

Stéphanie Morin, The Press

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The willing suspension of disbelief

Why do we sit in a theater to be told something that is not true? Why do we need it? These two questions are at the center of this solo show imagined by cultural host – and professional spectator – Émilie Perreault. In this short form presented in a 5 to 7 format behind the scenes of the Théâtre Duceppe, she will notably revisit shows that marked her, from Mary Poppins to Robert Lepage. Please note: the entrance price includes a beer and a snack!

Chez Duceppe, until May 8

Stéphanie Morin, The Press

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Pissing while standing without lifting your skirt

This show-event is back at the Center du Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui after a very notable appearance last year. Director Olivier Arteau and his troupe of eight performers, dancers and musicians use autofiction, performance, music and live video to “reveal the cultural and sociological baggage of our prejudices and our paradoxes “. An evening with a strong emancipatory content.

At the Center du Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui, from April 25 to May 3

Stéphanie Morin, The Press

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Dodge

Six acrobats gathered around three trampolines push the limits of discipline in the show Dodge, presented in its North American premiere at TOHU by the French troupe Le plus petit cirque du monde. A structure offering different viewing angles will allow the public to savor the virtuosity of these acrobats for whom high flying has become second nature. An acrobatic ballet for ages 6 and up.

At TOHU, April 24 to 28

Stéphanie Morin, The Press

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