Wildside Festival Returns in 2024

Centaur Theatre has announced the highly anticipated return of the WILDSIDE FESTIVAL 2024, set to run from January 18 to February 8, 2024, presented at both Centaur Theatre and La Chapelle Scènes Contemporaines. This year’s Festival promises to be a dynamic and boundary-pushing experience, showcasing an exceptional lineup of innovative and thought-provoking performances across Montreal.

“The Wildside Festival continues to be an essential opportunity to celebrate innovation in performance. This year, we are excited to present work by some of Montreal’s most exciting independent theatre creators in our ongoing effort to support experimentation and cutting-edge performance practice in our city.“ Rose Plotek, Curator

Featuring an exciting array of productions, THE WILDSIDE FESTIVAL 2024 promises to ignite the imagination and spark meaningful conversations. Audiences can expect an eclectic mix of genres, including gripping dramas, hilarious comedies, immersive experiences, and genre-defying performances that push the boundaries of storytelling.

 “I can’t wait to see the thrilling new work of Scapegoat Carnivale, Talisman, Wind Up Radio, and the great shows at La Chapelle. These cutting-edge works push the artists and the audience to look at the world in a bold new way. I love this festival's adventure and am proud that we can support it at Centaur.” - Eda Holmes, Centaur Theatre Artistic Director.

Among the highlights of this year’s Festival are Still Life by Marie-Ève Milot and Marie-Claude St-Laurent (produced by Talisman Theatre), this boldly experimental work in progress is directed by Emma Tibaldo, and is a captivating feminist drama exploring the complex intersections of love, loss, and memory; Ricki (produced by Scapegoat Carnivale Theatre), a darkly absurd fable about a woman and her ten-year-old son who move to Montreal after the loss of her partner and home; Choose Your End (produced by Wind up Radio), a multimedia production that offers spectators an opportunity to decide how they would like to face imminent global and environmental collapse and what will remain when it’s all gone; and Plays for the End of the World, a free reading, is a debut project by Scaredy Cat Theatre. It is a collection of dark yet comedic short plays that fearlessly confront the dread and helplessness of our contemporary existence. 

The Festival will also feature two shows at La Chapelle Scènes Contemporaines, Fé·e·s sans foi, presented in French with English subtitles, a queer dance musical that pays homage to the traditions of musicals and camp, and Award-winning drag comedienne Pearle Harbour presents Agit-Pop!, a hilarious and heartbreaking cabaret for the end times. 

WILDSIDE FESTIVAL 2024 will also feature the return of Confabulation, Montreal’s showcase for true-life stories, featuring stories from first-timers and veterans. Confabulation is a fun, unique stage experience sharing honest, thoughtful stories from those who lived them, told without notes, props, or gimmicks.

The Festival will also feature Unlocking the Extraordinary: Bill Rowat’s Lens Reveals Beauty in the Everyday. His photography captures the essence of beauty hidden in everyday life, finding artistry

in street murals, people, places, and scenes.

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