The Montreal Clown Festival to Return This Month at Gesù and MainLine Theatre

The Montreal Clown Festival will return from April 25-28, 2024 at  Gesù and MainLine Theatre, featuring world-class talent from across North America.

This year’s programming presents an array of clown forms to a public who may not be aware of the power of what clowning can be. Marginalized and underseen bodies and voices alongside well-known artists will present art for adults and children alike, all inspired by themes of isolation, hope, and unity.

The festival opens on April 25th with New Recipes: a Cabaret of New Works at MainLine Theatre, directed by Gabe McKinney (Las Vegas).

On April 26th, the popular Friday evening Cabaret, directed by Krin Haglund, will be hosted by real-life “franglais” couple, Philippe “Philidor” Thibaudeau & Becky “Hoops” Priebe with an exciting mix of local talent and visiting artists. A total of 8 artists will grace the Gesù stage, including recent National Circus School graduate, Raphaëlle Pépin, Deaf artist Marie-Pierre Petit, strange and hilarious Emily Jeffers (Toronto) with her “Bitty-Bat” act, and experienced circus performers: butoh-clown, Moshe Cohen (San Francisco) and juggler Joel Baker (Vermont).

Headlining on April 27th, a triple bill headliner featuring Canadian clown legend Jamie Adkins and American master of Eccentric Clowning, Avner Eisenberg, with local female Quebecore duo Laurette & Arlette, will make up the Variety show. Late-night show Old God by irreverent Las Vegas-based artist Alec Jones-Trujillo closes the Saturday night programming.

On April 28th, Punjabi-American comic Amrita Kaur Dhaliwal (Los Angeles) plays an older man in Driving Around, asking questions about race and the American dream in a playful and gentle way that welcomes audiences to ponder difficult questions together. Christine Moynihan (Toronto) uses poetic movement to talk about an elderly person’s isolation in a post-pandemic world in Inside Ethel: Outside. The festival closes with Candy Roberts’ (Vancouver) Larry, a gender-bender of a clown show that offers a very rock and roll way to talk about self-improvement and the complexities of being human. 

Two innovative companies from Quebec City, Cie In Toto and L’Aubergine, as well as Montreal-based artist Hugues Sarra-Bournet present works designed with young audiences in mind.

Throughout the festival, free outdoor performances by Nacho Con Salsa (Montreal), LaboKracBoom (Sherbrooke) and Hercinia Arts Collective/Trellis Arts (Toronto) complement the indoor offerings.

2024 Montreal Clown Festival
Artistic Director: Vanessa Rigaux
Selection Committee: Krin Haglund, Vanessa Rigaux, 
Yves Sheriff (Former Casting Director, Cirque du Soleil)
Production Partner: La Compagnie des Autres
 

MainLine Theatre (3997 St Laurent Blvd.) 
Thursday, April 25, 2024
New Recipes - Cabaret of New Works

Gesù (1200 rue De Bleury)
Friday, April 26, 2024
Festival Cabaret: The Big, Big Deal - Directed by Krin Haglund. With MCs Becky Priebe & Philippe Thibaudeau, and performances by Jamie Adkins, Joel Baker, Moshe Cohen, Amrita Kaur Dhaliwal,  Emily Jeffers, Dolorèze Léonard, Raphaëlle Pépin, Marie-Pierre Petit
 

Saturday, April 27, 2024

Cirk’ Alors ! (Cie In Toto, Québec)
Mario a un Incroyable Talent (Hugues Sarra-Bournet, Montreal)
Driving Around (Amrita Kaur Dhaliwal, Los Angeles)
The Variety Show: Avner Eisenberg as Avner the Eccentric with Jamie Adkins, Laurette & Arlette
Old God (Alec Jones-Trujillo, Las Vegas)
 

Sunday, April 28, 2024

Walter Ego (L’Aubergine, Québec)
Double Faute (Nacho Con Salsa, Montreal)
Inside Ethel: Outside (NACS Productions, Toronto)
Larry (Candy Roberts, Vancouver)

Free Outdoor Performances presented by Quartier des spectacles:
Les Robert (LaboKracBoom, Sherbrooke)
Construction Guys (Hercinia Arts Collective/Trellis Arts, Toronto)

WEBSITE: www.mtlclownfest.com/2024/

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