"Summer Park Gathering": this season, the theatre plans an outdoor gathering at the park
"Reunion de Famille," the latest production by Hugo Frejabise and his company Joussour, invites audiences to step into the daily lives of the inhabitants of Ville-Marie. The play, set in an ordinary park, features a group of friends grappling with universal anxieties and malaise of the century, expressed through the characters' love, hate, and collective desire for an unpredictable future.
The play's outdoor setting at Faubourgs Park, scheduled for 7:30 PM, disrupts traditional theater codes by performing in an open, uncontrolled environment. This shift challenges the spatial dynamics, immersing the audience in a more authentic and immediate experience.
The characters' interactions, reminiscent of a game of ping-pong at times and slower, more lengthy at others, unfold under the watchful eyes of the spectators who feel like voyeurs, observing from a distance. The narrative is not driven by exceptional events but rather by the unpredictability of the future, making it relatable and engaging.
Hugo Frejabise trusts in the power of words, embracing their poetic potential, and quotes from philosophers like Parmenides, Rousseau, and Oscar Wilde are woven into the script. The play's dialogue is rich, raw, and honest, reflecting the characters' disillusions, eco-anxieties, and metaphysical angst.
One of the most striking elements of the play is the use of natural elements. A thunderclap heard during the play symbolizes the character's argument about the world blowing up, while the ambient sounds of the park add to the immersive experience.
The play aims to captivate passersby, addressing them directly, and its performances are set up in a third place to achieve this goal. The goal is to make art accessible and engaging for everyone, breaking down the barriers between the audience and the performers.
Playing outdoors is a vulnerability Hugo Frejabise knows well in theater, as the performance is at the mercy of the elements. However, this risk adds to the play's raw, authentic feel, making it a unique and innovative theatrical experience.
For those seeking a fresh take on theater, "Reunion de Famille" offers an immersive, engaging, and thought-provoking production that challenges traditional theater norms and delves deep into the emotional complexities of human relationships.
In this innovative production, "Reunion de Famille," the outdoor setting at Faubourgs Park invites audience members to immerse themselves in a lifestyle that blends home-and-garden elements with outdoor-living, creating a unique housing experience. The play's use of natural elements, such as the thunderclap symbolizing arguments and the ambient sounds of the park, amplifies this immersive experience, making it a fresh and relatable take on modern housing and the tangled web of human relationships.
