Malaise dans la civilisation Alix Dufresne + Étienne Lepage

« [...] this "fake" play thus exposes a theatricality of the most mastered, where the backstage becomes little by little its front.

– Mario Cloutier, JEU Revue de Théâtre (Montréal)

« For a little over an hour, performers and spectators will be surprised, shocked and amused by ridiculous lines and actions that are sometimes physically demanding. Strangely, this "fake" play exposes a theatricality of the most mastered, where the backstage becomes little by little its front. »

– Mario Cloutier, JEU Revue de Théâtre (Montréal)

« Malaise dans la civilisation features a group of actors pretending to be a bunch of schmoes who just happen to find themselves in front of an audience, and whose philosophical musings have painful – and often painfully funny – real-world/stageworld consequences. »

- Jim Burke, Theatre Funhouse (Montréal)

Civilization and Its Discontents (Malaise dans la civilisation)

A Philosophical Vivarium

Tourists arrive in a theatre without caring about the decorum. Alternatively reserved or expansive, clumsy or careless, the four companions explore the space, jostling it and forgetting themselves in the rhythm of small ordinary accidents. Both philosophical and driven, their impulses will leave nothing untouched.

Through the sharp wit of their dramaturgy, the shrewd creative partnership of Alix Dufresne and Étienne Lepage shakes up both social and theatrical conventions, experimenting with the porous border between the stage and the house. Strange and playful, Civilization and Its Discontents allows us to observe complex, fascinating beings who innocently venture to the limits of morality. It’s touching—and disturbing. (Source: FTA 2022)

Directed by Alix Dufresne + Étienne Lepage

Written by Étienne Lepage

Performed and co-created by Florence Blain Mbaye + Maxime Genois + Renaud Lacelle-Bourdon + Alice Moreault

Set and costume design Odile Gamache

Light design Leticia Hamaoui

Music Robert Marcel Lepage

Technical direction and light design assistant Arianne Roy

Production Étienne Lepage

Executive producer DLD

Coproduction Festival TransAmériques + L’ANCRE – Théâtre Royal (Charleroi) + Maison de la culture Marie-Uguay + Espace Le vrai

monde ? + Salle de diffusion de Parc Extension + DLD

With the support of Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec + Canada Council for the Arts