All three are respected figures in their field. But for the show Interior Affairs, the choreographer Mélanie Demers, the musician Frannie Holder and the actress Sophie Cadieux did not want to confine themselves to what made them famous.
The three women preferred to go beyond the boundaries of their respective art for this hybrid show written by six hands where each sings, dances and plays. This means exposing yourself to a state of great vulnerability.
“That’s the challenge we set ourselves from the start,” explains Frannie Holder. Suddenly I have to dance, play. I am forced to move towards something that is less comfortable for me in my relationship to the stage, which is not my usual place. It’s the same for all of us. And each time, our weaknesses are revealed. »
Even if the three women already knew each other closely or distantly, it took courage – and a good dose of letting go – to venture into never-before-explored territories.
“Our biggest challenge was to trust that others would welcome us into their discipline,” says Mélanie Demers. This is what was the most confronting and the most engaging at the same time. We had to combine our strengths and our sensitivities to move forward. »
“There is something really beautiful that emerges from this,” adds Sophie Cadieux. The union of their three voices allowed, she says, the emergence of a fourth, distinct and kaleidoscopic, which borrows sometimes from singing, sometimes from theater or dance.
The exercise is all the more perilous for the three artists as the piece Interior Affairs is intended to be an introspective journey into what lies within them, to the depths of what lies dormant within them and is only waiting for a spark to reveal itself. All this to the tunes of a lullaby, rap or even musical comedy refrains!
However, the plan was completely different when Ginette Noiseux had the fertile idea of bringing together these three (strong) heads around a single project. The director of Espace Go, who will leave her position at the end of this season, wanted to stage the play Brand New Ancients, by Kae Tempest. For copyright reasons, the project died in the bud. But a seed was sown.
The idea of exploring the potential of their combined disciplines appealed to the three women. And quickly, a common desire emerged: that of probing what is brewing in each and every one of us. Like a dive beneath the sensitive surface to better escape ambient noise…
“The three of us come together on the basis of everything that upsets us, on the way the world affects us,” says Sophie Cadieux. We wanted to think about the space we leave for others within us. What do we keep, what do we discard? »
“For a moment, we felt like withdrawing a little from everything that attacks us or that can be violent,” says Frannie Holder.
Mélanie Demers adds: “This introspective journey also has resonances with the outside world, political and philosophical resonances. Going inside yourself to see what is happening there is also a collective act. It is important for us to register in the world. »
One thing is certain: borders, those that we all carry within ourselves and which prevent us from looking our monsters in the face, but also those which separate us from others, are at the heart of Internal Affairs. “This notion runs through the entire text and, with it, comes that of transgressions,” adds the musician of the trio.
Sophie Cadieux insists: this dive into oneself represents a hand extended towards the public. “We want to talk differently about the world without being afraid to approach it with a certain gentleness. We want this show to unite, to give people space to exist. »
The three creators say they were transformed by this project where barriers fell, where their internal logics were confronted with those of others and where they had to question the foundations of their art.
“It’s funny,” says Mélanie Demers. I realize that I have become radicalized on certain aspects that I had to defend. But I was also transformed by possibilities that I had not suspected. »
“The entire creative process was a vast human and artistic laboratory. It was extremely abundant. Since the start of the project, I have the impression of transforming myself and leading others to do so. It’s a great gift that Ginette [Noiseux] gave us,” concludes Frannie Holder.
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