MONTRÉAL COMPLÈTEMENT CiRQUE – July 6-16, 2023

MAKE WAY FOR THE 14TH EDITION OF THE MONTRÉAL COMPLÈTEMENT CiRQUE FESTIVAL

Montreal will be all about circus from July 6 to 16 as some 112 artists and acrobats descend on the city to present a host of original, wacky, festive and dazzling performances. Coming from across Quebec, Argentina, Australia, the United States, France, Mexico and the Czech Republic, the circus performers will offer wild evenings, sometimes comical, sometimes touching, sometimes sexy, but always highly surprising. Among the 12 indoor shows announced, 5 are from Quebec, including BARBU by Cirque Alfonse, which is making a comeback to the delight of everyone! MONTRÉAL COMPLÈTEMENT CiRQUE promises a diverse program for all ages and tastes.

“This year, we are focusing on the festive aspect and on different aesthetics! The productions presented are funny, playful and entertaining, but we also offer the public moments of incredible beauty that remind us that the art of the circus is above all a celebration of human creativity and the surpassing of oneself,” shares Stéphane Lavoie, TOHU’s general and programming director. The festival offers a variety of shows, each one different from the other, including shows for the general public, for families and others reserved for a discerning audience.”

At the TOHU

A major venue for the dissemination of circus arts in North America, TOHU invites the public at the heart of its circular room and its Escapade big top for four completely unprecedented shows. Composed of strong emotions, poetic moments and immersive experiences, evenings at the TOHU hub promise to amaze the public and leave them breathless.

THE PULSE by Gravity & Other Myths (Australia)
TOHU, circular hall, from July 5 to 8. General public.
Australia’s amazing company Gravity & Other Myths will return to Montreal this summer for the North American premiere of their sensational show The Pulse. This unique production, which has captivated audiences and critics around the world, brings together on stage 24 Australian acrobats and 36 Catalan singers from the Orfeò Català Girls’ Choir. The circus phenomenon directed by Darcy Grant will transport the audience into a sensory experience where a mountain of bodies plunges into an ever-changing ocean of voices. The production makes the audience vibrate by immersing it in a complex synchronism between movements and sound. A completely captivating show!

RUNNERS by Cirk La Putyka (Czech Republic)
TOHU, circular hall, from July 12 to 16. General public.
Hurry, hurry, hurry! You don’t want to miss RUNNERS! Presented by the renowned Czech troupe Cirk La Putyka, the show offers an astounding series of breathtaking performances. With a set consisting of a huge, elevated conveyor belt, the production examines the experience of time in a world that is continually in a hurry and in motion. Through various narrative tableaux, the artists take over the treadmill to present breathtaking acrobatics, including Cyr wheel acts, while running the marathon in one direction or another. Cirk La Putyka, which is extremely popular in Europe, is stopping in Montreal for the first time this summer to perform high-adrenaline numbers. Not to be missed!

HÉMISPHÈRE by Projet Sanctuaire (Quebec)
TOHU, circular hall, from July 13 to 16. General public.
Born from the gathering of renowned circus artists and musicians in a field in Lac-Mégantic, HÉMISPHÈRE brings the public to the meeting of two artistic universes: acrobatics and music. Pure and poetic, the show addresses the relationship of humans with time, as well as their concern to strengthen their social ties as well as their ties with nature. On an adaptation of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons by an orchestra waltzing between classical, electro-pop and popular songs, the acrobats perform high-flying aerial numbers. Promising a wide range of emotions, HÉMISPHÈRE captivates the audience as much by its musical universe as by its acrobatic performances.

Under the Big Top at TOHU

BRAVE SPACE by Aloft (United-States)
TOHU, Escapade big top, from July 8 to 16. General public.
The American troupe Aloft opens the small marquee doors for an immersive experience that calls for bravery with BRAVE SPACE. The intimate show invites 100 audience members to spend an hour face-to-face with its daring aerialists, as they perform perilous acts before their eyes and over their heads. Including trapeze, hoop and hand-to-hand acts, the show offers a personal moment tinged with kindness, focusing on circus arts at their simplest expression.

At the Espace St-Denis Studio-Cabaret

Festival-goers who want to have fun will definitely want to spend a complete evening at Studio-Cabaret of Espace St-Denis during MONTRÉAL COMPLÈTEMENT CiRQUE. Aimed at a discerning audience, the BARBU and DIRTY LAUNDRY performances promise to spice up the evening with unabashedly funny performances. On the one hand free and absurd, on the other sexy and libertine, the two productions in cabaret formula are to be enjoyed together, as a couple or with friends!

BARBU by Cirque Alfonse (Quebec)
Studio-Cabaret of Espace St-Denis, from July  6 to 16. 13 years old and up.
Presented for the first time in 2014 during MONTRÉAL COMPLÈTEMENT CiRQUE, the electro-trad fair BARBU is back in town to the delight of all. Bringing spectators back to the origins of the Montreal circus at the end of the 19th century, the absurdist show offers an abundance of hair, exhibitionism and eccentricity with a hint of humour and self-mockery. Sometimes ridiculous, often endearing, the artists of BARBU show their know-how in a series of feats where music, video and disorderly skids collide. A lot of happiness and fun in a cabaret formula.

DIRTY LAUNDRY by Briefs Factory International (Australia)
With special guest Barbada
Studio-Cabaret of Espace St-Denis, from July  6 to 16. 18 years old and up.
After ten years of turning heads at sold-out venues around the world, the guys from Briefs will be making a splash at Studio-Cabaret of Espace St-Denis for MONTRÉAL COMPLÈTEMENT CiRQUE. These circus artists offer a sexy and daring show combining circus with the art of drag, dance and burlesque in a hilarious comedy. Inspired by Anglo-Saxon cabarets, DIRTY LAUNDRY opts for a staging that favors proximity and invites confidences. To give the evening a French and Montreal touch, Australian drag queen and hostess Shivanana (Fez Faanana) will be accompanied at the helm by none other than Barbada. This evening of freedom and eccentricity will be the perfect opportunity for adults to have a good time without any embarrassment.

At the Theatre Outremont

UN DOMINGO by El Galpon de Guevara et Proyecto Migra (Argentina)
Théâtre Outremont, from July 7 to 16. General public.
Pure talent, theatricality and contagious Argentinian madness are on the agenda in this show full of humour and absurdity. When a Sunday with the family turns into a disaster, the tension rises and the emotions come out, giving rise to laughter and dismay. In this South American comedy, the troupe offers acrobatics, illusions, magic and contortions as the audience tries to find themselves through appearances, disappearances and escapes.

SARABANDE by Noémi Boutin and Jörg Müller (France)
Théâtre Outremont, from July 11 to 16. General public.
The extraordinary circus artist Jörg Müller merges dance and juggling in this majestic work of mesmerizing beauty. Accompanied by the music of Noémi Boutin, who performs three of Bach’s famous Cello Suites, the multidisciplinary artist combines physical performances with contemporary art as objects fly on stage to the sound of classical music.

At the Maison Theatre

GLOB
Photo: Andre Chevrier

GLOB by Les Foutoukours (Quebec)
Maison Théâtre, July 8 and 9. Families and children.
This Quebec troupe that makes children around the world laugh will stop at the Maison Théâtre to meet Montreal families. Exploring the themes of waiting, the unknown and encounters, GLOB presents two poetic and deeply human clowns who will amaze people of all ages. When two strange characters meet on stage, laughter, tears and acrobatic prowess intertwine. Surprises and magical moments await in this colorful, refined and enchanting piece that highlights all the subtleties of traditional European clowning.

JULIETA by Gabriela Munoz (Mexico)
Maison Théâtre, from July 7 to 15. General public.
A woman full of experience and quirks faces her own old age in this visual and non-verbal production that blends physical theater and clowning. With comical and touching notes, JULIETA deals with the separation between youth and old age by exploring the different stages of life. The audience witnesses a performance of clowning art of great depth that will make them experience a rich range of emotions and lead them to question their fears, hopes and self-image.

L’APRÈS-MIDI TOMBE QUAND TES BISCUITS SE RUINENT by La Croustade (Québec)
Maison Théâtre, from July 11 to 15. General public.
The Quebec duo La Croustade, composed of Eline Guélat and Vincent Jutras, presents a multidisciplinary performance that addresses the opposition between the soul of children and the spirit of adulthood. Featuring clown numbers, hand-to-hand and various manipulation acts, this show, with its uncluttered stage, leads adults to rediscover their childlike hearts in a playful and relaxed way.

At the Jardin du Monastere

CABARET DU JUGEMENT DERNIER by Le Monastère (Québec)
Le Jardin du Monastère, from July 6 to 22. General public.
It is with great pleasure that MONTRÉAL COMPLÈTEMENT CiRQUE and Le Monastère join forces once again to present the astonishing Cabaret du Jugement Dernier. At nightfall, in a magical atmosphere at Jardin St Jax, come see the best artists of the province face off in a friendly competition. Each artist presents an original number that may allow him/her to win the priceless Golden Chalice, awarded by a jury of circus professionals, or the Public’s Favourite award. The perfect opportunity to travel in different universes that will transport the public to heaven!

For more information, including the free outdoor progamming, and to purchase your tickets visit: www.montrealcompletementcirque.com