SMCQ Jeunesse

La Fugue

musical theatre without words, for young people 10 and over

Territory represented: international

Production: Société de musique contemporaine du Québec (SMCQ) and Qui Va Là Theatre.

Artists: Félix Beaulieu-Duchesneau, Justin Laramée, Philippe Racine, Benoît Côté
Music: Benoît Côté
Concept: Qui Va Là

Yohan, who ran away from home several weeks ago, is secretly in love with Noémie, a young teenage girl who is a member of a street gang. Yohan’s father, who hasn’t had any news of him since he ran away, has just received a box from the police containing some of his son’s belongings. As he goes through the items in the box, he is able to gradually reconstruct the story of the son from whom he has become estranged.

In this new production from SMCQ Jeunesse, artistic director Walter Boudreau wanted to create a show without words, almost abstract, centred around music: “What I’m actually trying to do is stage a musical form: the fugue. I want to create a concept that will revolutionize theatre for young audiences by challenging the domination of the narrated story.” Boudreau joined forces with Qui Va Là, a young collective that believes that theatre should encourage social responsibility. The four actors/musicians/writers/directors call on the spectator’s imagination in their approach to two very different themes: the difficult subject of young people living in the street and the fugue as musical form, one of the greatest achievements of the human mind.

In order to achieve a realistic portrayal of the life of street gangs, Qui Va Là consulted current reputable studies on the subject and obtained valuable advice from experts in delinquency, including the Montreal police department. The soundtrack of the performance is based on J.S. Bach’s Art of Fugue.

Workshops are available and recommended before and/or after the performance.

* Translator’s note: The title of this work contains a play on words that unfortunately cannot be rendered in English. As well as being a musical form, the word “fugue” also means “running away” in French. The expression “faire une fugue” could be translated as “to run away from home” or… “to write a fugue”!

Le piano muet

Territory represented: international

Somewhere in the indian jungle, a little boy is learning to distinguish nuances between noises and things. This is a new approach to R Kipling’s “Book of the Jungle,” and it will interest all those who have faith in fantasy and imagination.