"In captivating ‘Passengers,’ this train is bound for glory."
Boston Globe (USA)
"The 7 Fingers achieves what most contemporary circus acts can only dream of — the fusion of mass entertainment and intellectual exploration."
The Bay State Banner (USA)
"An illustration of grace, freedom, moments of wonder and leaps of faith."
The Guardian (UK), 2021
"Passagers marries imagery, music and acrobatic performances in an evocative and inspiring whirlwind.”
Le Devoir (Canada)
"A stunning circus show. Plaudits to Shana Carroll for writing, directing and choreographing it so astutely."
The Times (UK), 2021
"We find the signature of the collective, combining circus, music, contemporary dance and physical theater."
Circus Talk (USA)
"Ingenious staging and spectacular acts."
RDI (Canada)
"Passagers is a multidisciplinary, multisensory show."
Huffington Post (Canada)
"One of the strengths of the company is to bring together people from different backgrounds under one roof, driven by the powerful desire to dream."
Circus Talk (USA)
"A self-contained world filled with imagination and possibility, one that is by turns charming and poignant, exciting and ruminative."
The Arts Fuse (USA)
"With poetry and nostalgia, it’s human beings, in all their diversity, their contradictions and their excesses, that remain at the heart of this show."
Le Journal de Montréal (Canada)
"Once again, they have drawn on their wildest imagination and created a show that keeps spectators enthralled."
Mat TV (Canada)
"Like a jump into the future."
The Argumenti i Fakti Newspaper (Russia)
"The beauty and ingenuity of this show make it a must-see for all audiences."
The Harvard Crimson
"This is going to be the shortest review I’ve ever written. Here goes: O.M.G!"
North West End (UK), 2021
"It seems that the artist have discovered a special secret to overcome gravity, their flying under the ceiling without safety line appear to be so light and easy."
The Nezavisimaya Gazeta Newspaper (Russia)
"There’s an authenticity, vulnerability and human connectivity in this dazzling 100-minute show that I’ve never found before in a cirque-style show."
San Diego Union Tribune
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Departure vs. transit vs. arrival. Chance vs. choice vs. destiny. Stillness vs. acceleration. Reflection vs. transparency. Familiar vs. foreign. Private vs. public. Confinement vs. border-crossing. Bright headlights vs. tunnel-darkness. Past vs. future…
Our fascination with trains is both a nostalgic one — dreams of another era, another land — and a symbolic one: life happens along this track of sorts, twisting and turning through valleys and plains. We speed through lands all the while staring out the window, at the reflection of our very own eyes superimposed upon the shifting landscape. Tearful goodbyes, anticipatory reunions. Fateful encounters inside the cabin. A community of strangers with one thing in common: we all have somewhere to go. Our reasons for leaving may differ but we are joined in a moment of suspended limbo between two lives, as we say goodbye to one and prepare for another.
Creating this act 2 years ago, on the themes of saying goodbye, of closing chapters and beginning new ones, of retaining the memory of those who touched us on our flesh, allowing it to propel us forward… we never could have known the relevance it would hold today.
What is it to perform when there is no audience? Is it still performing if there is no “stage”? No fellow cast members to interact with. No lights. No costumes. No stage hands. No applause. Can we call it performance if there is no one to witness it?
What is it to perform when there is no audience? Is it still performing if there is no “stage”? No fellow cast members to interact with. No lights. No costumes. No stage hands. No applause. Can we call it performance if there is no one to witness it?
PASSAGERS
A production by Les 7 doigts de la main
Directed, written and choreographed by Shana Carroll
Assistant to the Director Isabelle Chassé
Coproducer TOHU (Montréal, Canada), ArtsEmerson (Boston, États-Unis)
Commissioning Partners Moscow Musical Theatre (Moscou, Russie)
Cast : Eric Bates, Valérie Benoît-Charbonneau, Kaisha D-W, Eduardo DeAzevedo, Marco Ingaramo, Nella Niva, Mandi Orozco, Santiago Rivera Laugerud, Méliejade T. Bouchard
Scenography Ana Cappelluto
Musical Director Colin Gagné
Video Designer Johnny Ranger
Lighting Designer Éric Champoux
Costume Designer Camille Thibault-Bédard
Head Coach Francisco Cruz
Texts Shana Carroll
Text, Einstein’train Conor Wild
Original Cast Sereno Aguilar Izzo, Louis Joyal, Maude Parent, Samuel Renaud, Sabine Van Rensburg, Brin Schoellkopf, Freyja Wild, Conor Wild
Project Manager Sabrina Gilbert
Production Coordinator Yagub Allahverdiyev
Technical Director Simon Lachance and Michel Bisson
Stage Manager Charlotte Legault andKarine Perron
Assistant to the technical director Marie-Hélène Grisé
Video Coordinator Dominique Hawry
Video Programmation Laura-Rose R.Grenier
DOP - Shooting Mark Ó Fearghaíl and Harley Francis
Video Animation Yannick Doucet and Remi Borgeal
Sound Engineer Jérôme Guilleaume
Light Programmation Stéphane Lecavalier
Electric Chief Gabriel Fournier-El Ayachi
Trapeze Coach Véronique Thibault
Creation Rigger Stéphane Beauchet and Nicolas Lemieux
Set design assistant Dominique Coughlin
Costume Assistant Catherine Veri
Rigging intern Joanie Audet
Music, Lyrics, sound design and arrangements Colin Gagné
In collaboration with Jean-Sébastien Leblanc (arrangements Contorsion, Hulahoop et Trapèze / arrangements Contorsion, Hulahoop and Trapeze), Boogát (paroles Jonglerie / Lyrics Juggling), Jérôme Guilleaume (arrangements Jonglerie / arrangements Juggling
Opening, Tight Wire and Epilogue music is based on a theme composed by Raphael Cruz
Voice and instruments Boogát, Maude Brochu, Alexandre Désilets, Guido Del Fabbro, Jérôme Dupuis-Cloutier, Jonathan Gagné, Gabriel Godbout-Castonguay, Dominiq Hamel, Sheila Hannigan, Olivier Hébert, Frannie Holder, Anna Kichtchenko, Jean-Sébastien Leblanc, Jeffrey Moseley, Maude Parent, Pablo Pramparo, Mathieu Roberge, Guillaume St-Laurent, William Underwood
Touring Team
Tour Manager Guillaume Biron
Technical Director Simon Carrière-Legris
Rigger Max Jouanneau
Light Operator Loriane Foisy
Sound & Video Operator Michael Amstadt
This show is dedicated to Raphael Cruz
Thanks : ACMÉ Décors (Mario Bonenfant & Étienne Boucher-Cazabon), Lionel Arnould, Concept ParaDesign, Emilie Bonnavaud, Nicolas Belle-Isle, Manuel Chantre, CRITAC (Patrice Aubertin, Marion Cossin, Jean Thibault), Antoine Grenier, Mathieu Grégoire, Patrick Handfield, Camille Labelle, Cédric Lord, LSM (Michel Baron & Julien Perron), Ovations Atelier (René Ross), XYZ Technologies (Camille St-Germain)
