A Living Museum

Benoît Lachambre and his parb.l.eux company’s interest in cross-disciplines creating new vocabulary, and the act of collaboration and improvisation, are at the heart of his performance activity. The premiere of Lachambre’s “100 Rencontres,” the season opener of the 11th edition of Montreal‘s Festival de théâtre des Amériques, couldn’t have been better orchestrated: audiences lined up outside the building of the Société des arts technologiques (SAT), a transdisciplinary centre for the arts and digital culture.

SAT is located in the heart of tenderloin district – the area’s hookers, pushers, and associated clientele, added indelibly to the ambience. In SAT’s large street-front window, passersby watch Emmanuel Jouthe on a stage set in the window, paneled inside by three sides of Plexiglas, preparing for his installation performance. He’s surrounded by small shotglasses, and in a corner, there's a vat of what looks like formaldehyde. Headsets line the bike pole outside the window, allowing folks on the street to listen in on the proceedings.
Once inside the building, the festival audience is ushered down into the basement. The crowd moves at will, going from one activity and installation ...