From Othello’s kiss to monologues from Spike Lee films, the performers in Cabaret Noir have fun tinkering with reconstructions of emblematic scenes from theatre, cinema and television, touching on the dualistic representations of racism in the popular imagination.
In this cabaret of contrasting sketches, voices take on a split personality, living in two worlds at once. The characters speak in French, English and Creole, with frequent references to key works in the Afrodescendant cultures of North America – the words of Frantz Fanon, Toni Morrison, James Baldwin and Dany Laferrière, for example – enriching the subtext of the piece.
A multi-disciplinary artist, Mélanie Demers founded her company MAYDAY in Montreal in 2007. Exploring the powerful connection between the poetic and the political, she deepened her commitment to her art with work that took on hybrid forms. Her fascination for words and gestures crystallized in WOULD (2015), which received the CALQ Award for best choreography. Combining theatricality, literature, music and the visual arts, she embarked on a new cycle in 2021 with La Goddam Voie Lactée and Cabaret Noir. She has a repertoire of more than 30 dance pieces, which have been presented in theatres and at festivals in Europe, America, Africa and Asia.
Espace bleu
April 13-14-15, 2022 – 7 p.m.
April 16, 2022 – 4 p.m. + 8 p.m.
Duration : 90 minutes
35$
Text in English, French and Haitian Creole.
Meet the artists April 14, 2022
Compagnie MAYDAY
Concept, direction and choreography Mélanie Demers with the collaboration of the performers
Performers Vlad Alexis, Florence Blain Mbaye, Paul Chambers, Stacey Désilier, Mélanie Demers, Anglesh Major
Dramaturgy Angélique Willkie
Rehearsal Direction Anne-Marie Jourdenais
Lighting Design Paul Chambers
Music Anglesh Major, Florence Blain Mbaye
Music montage Anglesh Major
Costumes Sophie El Assaad
Technical Direction Samuel Thériault
Video teaser Stefan Verna
Co-production Agora de la danse, Le Groupe de la Veillée, le Théâtre français du CNA
Co-presentation Le Groupe de la Veillée, Agora de la danse
Creative residencies Théâtre Prospero, Agora de la danse
Co-presentation with Le Groupe de la Veillée
MAYDAY
