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Festival Marionnettes Plein la rue – 12th edition
25 August au 27 August 2023

From August 25 to 27, 2023, the 1.3 km of Promenade Wellington will come alive for the 12th edition of the Festival Marionnettes Plein la rue, presented by Desjardins, with puppets as marvelous as they are amusing: inhabited puppets, girdle puppets, rod puppets, giant puppets, exhibition, rod puppets… An abundant offer that promises excitement and laughter for all!

Over the course of this colorful weekend, 15 companies from Quebec, including one in co-production in Mali, and one from Mexico, will perform on the street.. Quai 5160 will also host an indoor show on Saturday, August 26. In all, there will be 42 performances to catch. Open your eyes wide and let yourself be carried away by the magic of this art!

 

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Opening hours

Friday, August 25 from 5pm to 9pm
Saturday, August 26th from 10am to 5pm
Sunday, August 27 from 10am to 5pm


Accessibility on site:

BY METRO - De l'Église station

BY BUS - Lines 12, 37, 58, 61 and 350

BY BIKE OR BIXI - Plenty of bike paths and several BIXI stations nearby.

BY CAR - More than 500 parking spaces nearby, including the 260-space Éthel parking garage.

ACCESSIBILITY - Several street-side parking lots and drop-off points for people with reduced mobility.



All shows are free, except for Coucou at Quai 5160 - Maison de la culture de Verdun. Tickets are $7.

Programming by day
Lineup

This year, there are 42 performances to catch on Promenade Wellington and the surrounding area. Discover free shows for all audiences created by artists and companies from all horizons!

 

Download site map

Photo exhibition
La marionnette québécoise s'envole
Friday, August 25 to Sunday, August 27

Continuously on Promenade Wellington

Between Hickson and Regina streets

The Association québécoise de marionnettistes brings together and serves the entire 11th art community in Quebec. It is with great enthusiasm that it joins the Festival Marionnette plein la rue to present a very exciting part of the artists' lives: traveling the world.

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Friday, August 25, 2023
Voyageurs - Kaoso
5 pm and 7 pm

Starting corner of Galt and Wellington streets

Wandering on the street

Two travelers find themselves separated by an imaginary abyss, and try to reach each other. With the complicity of the audience, and thanks to a thread stretched between their two suitcases, a tiny messenger undertakes the perilous crossing that will bring the travelers back together.

By integrating the audience under the umbrellas, an overall picture and a theater of proximity are both created, allowing complicity with the spectators and protecting them from the inevitable downpour.

Age: All audiences
Duration: 45 minutes

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Éclipse totale du coeur - Geneviève Thibault
6 pm and 8 pm

6 pm - In front of Bar Palco (4019 Wellington St.)
8 pm - Benelux backyard (4026 Wellington St.)

Fixed show

An immortal song. A reluctant diva.

Age: 7 and up
Duration: 7 minutes

More details
La marionnette fait son cinéma - Festival Stop Motion
8 pm

Scene 1 - Park of the presbytery of Église Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs

Outdoor projections

To introduce young audiences to the pleasures of volume animation, commonly known as stop motion, the Stop Motion Montreal Festival, in partnership with the Festival marionnettes Plein la rue, presents a family screening in the style of the competitive short film programs for young people presented annually at the festival.

The selected works from around the world will appeal to children and parents alike, and will be either dialogue-free or in the original French verion. A variety of puppets will be showcased, from plasticine characters to puppets made of latex foam, fabric, wool, paper and even recycled materials!

Age: All audiences
Duration: 50 minutes

More details
Saturday, August 26, 2023
Émeraude et le monarque - Les Petites Géantes
10 am and 11:30 am

Scene 1 - Park of the presbytery of Église Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs

Fixed show

Using a small castelet filled with traps, openings, hiding places and surprises, Émeraude & le Monarque tells the story of a young girl who encounters a Monarch butterfly. She's never seen one like it! She finds it so beautiful that she rushes to the kitchen to find a pot to keep it in. In its pot, the butterfly quickly weakens. What can you do?

The little girl becomes aware of the fragility of the beauty that surrounds her. She'll be looking for a way to keep her new friend close to her without hurting him. Different types of puppets and accessories are used to build a playful universe where our little heroine faces surprising adventures.

Ages: 3 to 6
Duration: 25 minutes

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Animalarium - Luna Morena
10:30 am and 2 pm

Starting point corner Hickson and Wellington streets

Wandering on the street

Animalarium is a collection of animal puppets that reaches out to people and intervenes in public spaces. Humans and these animated creatures coexist naturally, occupying the shared space as if it were their natural environment.

The idea of creating a shared space between different species is an achievable utopia thanks to the art of animated forms.

Age: All audiences
Duration: 30 minutes

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Le Chant Botté - Le théâtre de deux mains
11 am and 3 pm

Scene 5 - Stage of the 6th avenue (In front of 5020 Wellington Street)

Fixed show

A lively musical inspired by the ancient and very popular tale of Puss in Boots.

The youngest member of a family inherits a mischievous cat who offers to elevate his miserable life and make him a nobleman. Thanks to his cunning, he manages to outwit the king and defeat a giant who is terrorizing the surrounding countryside. He then appropriates his castle in the name of his master: the Marquis de Carabas. Impressed by the Marquis' wealth, the king offers him his daughter's hand in marriage.

Age: All audiences
Duration: 35 minutes

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Esmée et l'amour - Jacqueline Van de Geer
10 am, 11:30 am and 1:30 pm

Neighborhood tour | SOLD OUT

Location revealed upon reception of tickets

Esmée is a fierce, elegant and rather bourgeois puppet who wants to find friends to play with and maybe even a husband.

With the audience's help, she learns how to find love!

Age: 13 and up
Duration: 20 minutes

Limited places: Sold out

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Psycho-Carotte - Isabelle Bartkowiak
10:25 am, 11:55 am and 1:55 pm

Neighborhood tour | SOLD OUT

Location revealed upon reception of tickets

Jacque has a beautiful house that smells of banana bread. Jacque has a beautiful, blonde, luscious, anonymous girlfriend. Jacque has a beautiful chrome fridge, model of the year, BUT... Behind the silver door, behind the pint of 1% milk, behind the leftover meatloaf and the huge container of protein powder inexplicably tucked away in the fridge, she's there. Waiting for her revenge, IT'S PSYCHO-CAROTTE!

What is Psycho-Carotte? A short form of object theater that combines horror and dubious wordplay to criticize the housing crisis. Come and witness the revenge of the pitted vegetables crammed into the depths of dark, frigid spaces!

*Winner of the Prix Ouf-FMPR.

Ages: 13 and up
Duration: 15 minutes

Limited places: Sold out

Lucien - Aluma
10:45 am, 12:15 pm and 2:15 pm

Neighborhood tour | SOLD OUT

Location revealed upon reception of tickets

"Lucien" is a multi-disciplinary creative project based on a bag puppet character. The initial idea is to create an intimate and popular character, in a dystopian universe, to question the issues of our contemporary world.

At a time when we feel that everything is moving too fast, in a standardized world where the influx of information and the social isolation of individuals has intensified, "Lucien" is intended as a poetic pause for reflection.

Age: 13 and up
Duration: 20 minutes

Limited places: Sold Out

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Amitié - Cie Nama et Création Vivante
12:30 pm and 4 pm

12:30pm - Starting at 4th Avenue and Wellington
4pm - Starting at Galt and Wellington

Wandering on the street

Two characters stroll and dance to the rhythms of percussion. They speak to us of true friendship, the one where we accompany each other in moments of intense joy as well as those of profound suffering.

The giant puppets represent different ethnic groups in Mali. Despite their differences, they share a common spirit of solidarity.

Age: All audiences
Duration: 45 minutes

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Coucou - Graham Soul
11 am and 1:30 pm

Scene 6 - Quai 5160 - Maison de la culture de Verdun

5160 boulevard LaSalle

Coucou is a wordless show featuring rod puppets, a giant character, an imposing clock-shaped set, music, sound and video projection.

Life inside the clock is regulated by the inhabitants, Jacquemart, Cécile and Coucou, who have only enough time to keep it running smoothly. Young Cuckoo, who would like to play or read a book, is bored. But when a little bug appears and causes chaos in the clock, the adventure begins!

Tickets on sale July 21

Ages: 4 and up
Duration: 40 minutes

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âmes soeurs - Magali Chouinard
4:30 pm

Scene 1 - Park of the presbytery of Église Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs

Fixed show

"âmes sœurs" is an initiatory journey between imagination and consciousness; it's the meeting of the human soul with its wild sisters, multiple forms incarnated in nature; it's also an ode to Childhood, where formidable aptitudes to be in the body, in the senses and in the moment flow from the source.

"âmes sœurs" poetizes the joy of the wild child who lives somewhere in each of us.

Age: All audiences
Duration: 30-35 minutes

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Sunday, August 27, 2023
Un conte de jardin - Théâtre Ciel Ouvert
10 am and 3:15 pm

Scene 1 - Park of the presbytery of Église Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs

Fixed show

Early in the morning, a snail chews one last leaf before returning to its shell.
Beside it, a rose takes a sunbath in the cool morning air. The garden and its inhabitants come to life. Suddenly, a raging wind picks up and menacing shadows the sky. The storm passes, the garden recovers, but something strange has clung to the thorns of the rose bush.

Spectators are invited to enjoy an inclusive theatrical experience and a unique close relationship with the actors and characters in the show, thanks to its intimate dimension.

Age: All audiences
Duration: 35 minutes

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Lucien (Scooter version) - Aluma
10:30 am, 1:30 pm and 3:30 pm

10:30 am and 1:30 pm - Starts corner of 1st Avenue and Wellington
3:30 pm - Starts corner of Galt and Wellington streets

Wandering on the street

"Lucien" is a multi-disciplinary creative project based on a bag puppet character. The initial idea is to create an intimate and popular character, in a dystopian universe, to question the issues of our contemporary world.

At a time when we feel that everything is moving too fast, in a standardized world where the influx of information and the social isolation of individuals has intensified, "Lucien" is intended as a poetic pause for reflection.

Age: All audiences
Duration: 30 minutes

More details
Scribouillis - L'os de bois
11 am and 4 pm

Scene 1 - Park of the presbytery of Église Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs

Fixed show

"Scribouillis" is a tribute to children's imagination. It introduces us to Mimi, a playful and inquisitive little girl, who is drawing when suddenly her drawing comes to life!

The child and her creature get to know each other and play games, but when Scribouillis is about to eat Mimi's comforter, the fun stops and the squabbling begins. The creature metamorphoses before our very eyes! Now that's what we call an overactive imagination! But if Mimi can bring her drawing to life with the power of her imagination, can she also take it away by erasing it?

Ages: 3 to 8
Duration: 30 minutes

More details
Animalarium - Luna Morena
11:30 am and 3:30 pm

Starting point corner of Regina and Wellington streets

Wandering on the street

Animalarium is a collection of animal puppets that reaches out to people and intervenes in public spaces. Humans and these animated creatures coexist naturally, occupying the shared space as if it were their natural environment.

The idea of creating a shared space between different species is an achievable utopia thanks to the art of animated forms.

Age: All audiences
Duration: 30 minutes

More details
Amitié - Cie Nama et Création Vivante
12 pm and 3 pm

12pm - Starts at the corner of Regina and Wellington streets
3pm - Starts at the corner of Galt and Wellington streets

Wandering on the street

Two characters stroll and dance to the rhythms of percussion. They speak to us of true friendship, the one where we accompany each other in moments of intense joy as well as those of profound suffering.

The giant puppets represent different ethnic groups in Mali. Despite their differences, they share a common spirit of solidarity.

Age: All audiences
Duration: 45 minutes

More details
Les Triplets de Nullpa - Imagicario
1:30 pm and 4:30 pm

Starts at the corner of Galt and Wellington streets

Wandering on the street

Intended for public spaces, this new street show features three inhabited puppets on stilts some 4 metres high. Inspired by the steampunk movement, old-fashioned automata and a parallel future, Les Triplets de Nullpa showcases the lively impact of puppetry, leaving plenty of room for the imagination.

Those who meet the Triplets of Nullpa risk being either fascinated or crushed by these three great clumsy creatures...

Age: All audiences
Duration: 30 minutes

More details
Punch & Judy - Tenon Mortaise
2 pm and 4 pm

Stage 3 - Madelinots Park (in front of 3651 Wellington)

Fixed show

Meaner than the devil, Punch takes turns blasting anyone who dares cross him.

Ages: 5 and up
Duration: 45 minutes

More details
Médiation en cabinettes
2:30 pm

Scene 6 - Quai 5160 - Maison de la culture de Verdun

5160 boulevard LaSalle

Follow a trail to discover some of the short cabinette puppet forms created by members of La Corporation L'Espoir, a Greater Montreal non-profit organization supporting people with autism or intellectual disabilities and their families.
These short pieces, each lasting between one and three minutes, were created as part of a cultural mediation project in which participants were accompanied by puppeteers Mélanie Baillairgé and Elisabeth Bosquet to discover the world of puppetry and create a short form for one spectator at a time.

Duration: 30 to 45 minutes
Age: General public
Pass: Free on site - $2 online. Very limited audience

* Children under 8 accompanied by an adult do not need a pass to attend the event.

This cultural mediation project is organized by Quai 5160-Maison de la culture de Verdun, with financial support from the Government of Quebec and the City of Montreal as part of the Entente de développement culturel de Montréal.
An opportunity to discover new ways of expressing oneself through puppetry, to which the public will be invited*.

*Very limited space, details to follow

This cultural mediation project is organized by Quai 5160-Maison de la culture de Verdun, with financial support from the Government of Quebec and the City of Montreal as part of the Entente de développement culturel de Montréal.

More details
FAQ
Got questions? Find an answer here!

What kind of shows can I expect when I come to the Festival Marionnettes Plein la rue?

 

The mission of the Festival Marionnettes Plein la rue is to offer the widest range of puppet “possibilities” in terms of the types and sizes of puppets, the forms of shows, and the origins and experience of the artists. A multitude of propositions are offered to you, dare the tiny as well as the giant and the playful as well as the serious!

 

How to get to the site?

As the Festival Marionnettes Plein la rue takes place on Promenade Wellington, the site is accessible in many ways, but to stay in shape and reduce your footprint, we recommend active or public transportation:

🟢 BY METRO – De l’Église Station

🚌 BY BUS – Lines 12, 37, 58 and 61

🚲 BY BIKE OR BIXI – Bike path along the waterfront and rue de Verdun. Several BIXI stations nearby and nearby bike parking.

🚗 BY CARPOOLING – More than 500 parking spaces nearby, including the 260-space Éthel parking garage. For a parking map, click here!

ACCESSIBILITY – Several street-side parking lots and drop-offs for people with reduced mobility.

 

Where can I consult the program, schedule and venues?

You’ll find everything on the event page of our website, in the “Program by day” section. Once on site, visit the information booth at the corner of Galt and Wellington for more information.

Alternatively, you can download the FEST app, where you can have all the information at your fingertips and see in real time where the shows are taking place.

It’s free and super-easy to use. We recommend it!

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Do I have to pay for the shows?

All programming is free. Only the indoor show at Quai 5160 – Maison de la culture de Verdun is ticketed. Tickets go on sale on Friday, July 21 for the low price of $7. You can get them here.

 

Is it possible to reserve a seat for a show in advance?

For most shows, it’s first come, first served. We therefore recommend that you arrive a little early to be sure of getting a seat, given that the capacity is sometimes limited.

This year, we have two shows with reservations:

Parcours chez l’habitant: free passes available at the info booth 1h before each departure. Maximum of 4 passes per person. Maximum 20 people per departure. 3 departures on Saturday August 26: 9:45 a.m., 11:15 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. (13 years and + accompanied by an adult)

Cabinette Mediation: Pass available free on site or for $2 online. Very limited capacity

* Children under 8 accompanied by an adult do not need a pass to attend the Cabin Mediation event.

 

 

Are there restrooms on site?

Yes, there are two toilets on the corner of Wellington and De L’Église, including one for people with reduced mobility. You can always use the restrooms in the shops, in exchange for a small drink! 😉

 

Will there be food and beverage stands?

The great thing about holding a festival on Promenade Wellington is that there’s a wide range of cafés and restaurants nearby! Don’t hesitate to quench your thirst and grab a bite to eat at one of our merchants.

Fancy a stroll from one of the Well’s many terraces? Refer to the programming and our terrace guide to spot one nearby.

 

Can I bring my dog on site?

Dogs must be on a leash. Please note that the event is expected to be very crowded, so if your pet is not comfortable in crowds, it may be best to leave it at home!

 

Are shows postponed in case of rain?

As far as possible, all performances are maintained, depending on the intensity of the weather and the type of show. If a show has to be postponed or shifted, you’ll be notified via the mobile app, our social networks and Facebook event.

 

Final pro tips:

  • Get to shows on time! Out of respect for the artists, some performances will not be accessible once the show has started.
  • Go green: bring your own reusable water bottle. Street vendors will be happy to fill them for you.

 

If you have any further questions or queries on site, please refer to the info booth at the corner of Galt and Wellington (near the statue).

Alternatively, write to us at info@promenadewellington.com.

 

Volunteering

With the Festival Marionnettes Plein la rue just around the corner, we’re looking for available and motivated volunteers to assist us during the event from Friday, August 25 to Sunday, August 27, 2023.

Would you like to join our amazing team for a weekend of fuego?
We look forward to meeting and working with you!

 

I VOLUNTEER

List of available positions

Information booth

Welcome visitors to the site, provide information about the festival and its programming, and help them find their way around.

Artist assistants

Greet artists, help unload and move equipment to the stage. Help artists as needed, welcome spectators, ensure smooth running of the show (noise, disturbance).

Cafeteria + dressing room help

Greet artists in dressing rooms, receive or collect food. Take care of the buffet for artists and volunteers.

All-rounder volunteer

Substitutions for various positions

Compensation

- Lunch provided
- Summery, festive and pleasant atmosphere

Thanks to our partners

Thanks to our partners

The Festival Marionnettes Plein la rue is presented by

Thanks to our other partners