11th Carrefour international de théâtre - May 25 to June 12, 2010: A grand
festival of theatre

Presented by La Capitale groupe financier

QUÉBEC CITY, April 8 /CNW Telbec/ - Earlier today, the management of the Carrefour international de théâtre announced the program of the festival, which will be held in Québec City from May 25 to June 12.

The festival will offer a national and international program in performance halls, a free outdoor event in the heart of the city, a series featuring up-and-coming young performers entitled Chantiers - constructions artistiques, a crossroads of discovery combining readings, round tables, movies, including several free activities, and other fringe activities as well as a professional forum. Over 550 artists and craftsmen, from here and elsewhere, are expected. Dominique Violette, General Manager of the festival, says, "We have put together a full program, accessible to a variety of audiences, and we invite people to set out on a theatrical adventure."

A festival to bring people together: the same blood flows in all our veins

To open the festival, on May 25, play-goers will be able to watch a new generation of Belles-Sœurs, starring Marie-Thérèse Fortin, Guylaine Tremblay and Maude Guérin. This rereading of Michel Tremblay's play, directed by René Richard Cyr and with music by Daniel Bélanger, is eagerly awaited!

The festival will present a major, four-part cycle of painful beauty, Le Sang des promesses by Wajdi Mouawad consisting of La Trilogie Littoral, Incendies, Forêts and Ciels. A real treasure of contemporary Québec drama and a scenic monument of uncommon scope, this work arises from the author's fascination with vows.

    
    La Trilogie Littoral, Incendies, Forêts: three stories that deal with
    war, exile, parent-child relations and memory. June 12

    Ciels: a mission to thwart a plot that threatens beauty and art. Written
    in counterpoint to the three other components of this quartet of plays.
    May 28 to 31
    

Artistic Director Marie Gignac is thrilled to present these works by Michel Tremblay and Wajdi Mouawad to the people of Québec City and to all those who will converge there for the event. Between these two pillars, festival-goers will discover a wide range of types of theatre: local and universal; ancient and modern; visual, literary and musical; poetic, dramatic and comic; intimate and epic.

During the first weekend, May 27, 28 and 29, a roaming show entitled Où tu vas quand tu dors en marchant...? will once again wind its way through the streets of the city, exciting crowds as it passes by. This show comprises nearly 200 artists and craftsmen under the artistic coordination of Frédéric Dubois, and had the 2009 award bestowed on it by the Association québécoise des critiques de théâtre.

From June 1 through 5, the premiere of La Montagne rouge (SANG) will be held. Written by Steve Gagnon and produced by the Théâtre des Fonds de Tiroirs, this is an intimate story that makes us want to believe that despite pain and sorrow, it is possible to choose to be reconciled with life.

The next play, from June 2 to 5, is Éloge du Poil, presented by French theatre group Compagnie Bal. Jeanne Mordoj, bearded lady, balancing artist and ventriloquist, explores avenues of seduction that are definitely out of the ordinary. Her energy and humour are contagious.

From June 3 to 6, Québec artist Daniel Danis will present his most recent creation. Carried by speech that is airborne, poetic and half invented, Yukie is an unusual exploration of pictorial languages.

On June 4 and 5, we will be privileged to see an exceptional work from the Netherlands, Tragédies romaines (Coriolan, Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra). Under the direction of Ivo van Hove, this Shakespearean trilogy becomes a political show with intense media coverage, in which the audience is invited to infiltrate the corridors of power.

During the last week, from June 8 to 11, the festival presents L'Effet de Serge, a remarkable "false" one-man show from France. Every Sunday, Serge invites friends over and gives them short performances drawn from his unbridled imagination... The art of transcending one's own ordinariness.

From June 9 to 11, Rouge Gueule, a show with real punch, directed by Claude Poissant of the Théâtre PÀP, will take the stage. Cruelly subversive, this first play by Étienne Lepage gives the floor to ten characters who share their innermost thoughts free of taboo or censure.

On June 10 and 11, the festival welcomes Elephant Wake, a play by Joey Tremblay of Saskatchewan. Over the years, Jean Claude has watched as his community has exiled itself to the neighbouring English-speaking town. As the last guardian of the village's spirit, he creates a sanctuary of paper, surrounding himself in his own way with those he has loved.

Ticket office and information

Information about the shows, credits, performance dates, fringe activities and other information may be found at www.carrefourtheatre.qc.ca. Subscriptions are now on sale. Single tickets will be available starting Monday, April 19.

/NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available at http://photos.newswire.ca. Images are free to accredited members of the media/

For further information: Marie-Ève Charlebois, Press Officer, [phone], [phone]; Source: Carrefour international de théâtre, [phone], www.carrefourtheatre.qc.ca