The Other Theatre Presents RÉHABILITATION 2/24-3/10

Antarctica. A blinding world of slowly melting ice. A world where the horizon is boundless, where one can forget one's past and embrace a clean fresh start, where one can frolic with the penguins and breathe in cool, blue air. The perfect place for a recovery centre.

In a not-too-distant future a highly addictive drug becomes the thrill of choice for a large part of the global population. Users are deemed to be in the grip of an addiction that must be cured before it has catastrophic consequences. They gather in Antarctica for a treatment that is unique and effective. It brings peace, tranquility and...forgetfulness. Their memories slowly fading, the residents grapple to retain their past, their identity and their humanity.

The Other Theatre presents the Quebec French-language premiere of Greg MacArthur's richly allusive and evocative work. An allegory for our times, Recovery warns against the suppression of individuality in the face of conformity, consumerism, and the pursuit of comfort at any cost. With: Michel Bertrand, Catherine Lavoie, Danièle Lorain, Charles-Smith Métellus, Michel Mongeau and Vanessa Schmit-Craan.

Opening Night: Thursday, February 24, 2011 at 8:30pm (Segal Centre Studio)

For more information, visit http://othertheatre.com/.

About The Other Theatre

Formed in 1991 by Artistic Director Stacey Christodoulou, The Other Theatre is dedicated to the performance of socially relevant work, in the form of adaptations, installations, theatre texts, and collectively written material. Privileging the physical and the imagistic, the company has created theatre that is both visual and thought provoking, showcasing the work of international playwrights such as Fernando Arrabal, Peter Handke, Heiner Müller, R.W. Fassbinder, Sarah Kane, Kurt Vonnegut, and Wallace Shawn - most as Quebec premieres.

A hybrid group, The Other Theatre performs in English, French and bilingually, emphasizing the ensemble as its primary source of inspiration. Its collective creations have tackled subjects from fractals to fascism, physics to pop culture, television to terrorism and have taken place in theatres, warehouses, a moving elevator, and a shopping mall window. The company has been invited into the seasons of many noted venues, both English and French (Centaur Theatre, Espace Libre, Théâtre Prospero, Galerie Oboro, Montreal arts intercultural) as well as being a participant in the prestigious Festival TransAmérique (formerly the Festival de Theatre des Ameriques). An award-winning and critically acclaimed company, The Other Theatre is recognized as a unique and vital contributor to Quebec's cultural life.

After exploring different aspects of theatre creation (monologues, collective creations and installations), the company is embarking on a series of experimental work, involving the public, film and mp3 players. The investigation into creating actorless and décorless work began with AFTERLIFE, created for The Factory Project, a performance event in homage to Warhol's Silver Factory, curated by Studio 303 and OUT Productions. Other versions of this project include Spiral Jetty 1 presented at Circuit Est in 2008 and Home Theatre for Kanva Architecture to be presented in the spring of 2011. These works use surveillance cameras, ipods and choreography to create an accidental theatre where the participants were unwitting actors. After several experiments in different venues, the last version of this project, SJ2 :BED will be presented in 2012.

For The Other Theatre, the link between society's psychological and political aspects is the backbone of its performance work. By presenting work that is complex and engaging, the company seeks a dialogue with its audience that is free of didacticism and easy solutions. It shows a world of contradictory impulses, actions and emotions - a world where everything is shifting and nothing is impossible.

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