From March 5 to 21, 2026, the Théâtre de la Pire Espèce presents, in co-broadcast with the Théâtre Aux Écuries, its new creation: Parallel Realities by Francis Monty in a production by Olivier Ducas and Francis Monty.
A detail in the pattern of the hotel carpet disturbs our certainties, a flaw in the spaceship reveals the unimaginable, a plane in the sky is a sign of bad omen… but it parachutes pianos into the countryside to nourish the souls of the soldiers. Does the world really correspond to what we see? What do we think?
With Réalités Parallèles, Francis Monty and Olivier Ducas create a hypnotic show designed like a collection of short stories. This triptych explores the improbable encounter between live animated cinema, paper theater and object theater. Each story exploits its own universe, its unique aesthetic language and is linked by the same questioning on the clash between reality and perception.
Throughout the show, spectators are invited to imagine new rules of the game to navigate through the three short shapes and the infinite possibilities of their imaginations. Thanks to an ingenious stage set-up, combining paper theater boxes and live cameras, the audience witnesses the creation of images before their eyes, like a film being made in real time. Carried by four actors•ice•s-manipulator•ice•s – Étienne Blanchette, Joanie Fortin, Marcelle Hudon and Alexandre Leroux – the show combines the forces of paper, the object and cinema, to deploy a singular form traversed by vertigo interiors. From this on-sight creation emerges a privileged bond with the spectators which draws them into a unique play of scales and perceptions. Parallel Realities poses in its own way a reflection on the way we perceive reality. These three propositions invite curiosity and guide you towards a great introspective journey.
THE THREE STORIES
THE ZOO WALLS HAVE COLLAPSED | At 13, Felix Mirbt crosses Germany at war by bicycle, trying to follow his ever-elusive father. Fifty years later, the puppeteer recounts this journey interweaving his distant memories, made up of archive images and cardboard ruins invaded by animals fleeing from the Berlin zoo.
OVERLOOK HOTEL | In a hotel that looks like The Shining, an author wanders, haunted by his past and by the strange patterns on the carpet. Corridors, doors and elevators make up a labyrinth where places overlap and reality is blurred. As space expands, a breach appears inside him…and the monster emerges.
HE BESIAGES / THE STATION GATE / THE COSMOS | A team of astronauts wanders without a destination, dividing their time between minor repairs, rounds of weightless golf and unanswered questions. The live video montage fragments the story and immerses us in the dilated time of spatial navigation, between optical effects and cinematographic references. Prologue: Before the show, a prologue is offered to the public who are invited to discover three puppets exhibited in the café of the Théâtre Aux Écuries.
Text Francis MontyDirected by Olivier Ducas and Francis MontyDistributed by Étienne Blanchette, Joanie Fortin, Marcelle Hudon and Alexandre LerouxDramaturgy, assistance to the director and management Jonathan CussonAssisted to the direction and management Martine Richard and Clara Desautels | Scenography, design of models and objects Julie Vallée-Léger | Production assistance Gabrielle Chabot, Iker Vicente and Julia Allehaux-Villano | Lighting Thomas Godefroid | Sound design Nicolas Letarte-Bersianik | Collaboration in creation Mélanie Baillairgé, Jérémie Desbiens, Mathieu Gosselin, Salim Hammad and Geneviève Thibault | Technical advice and constructions Gabriel Duquette | Production management Catherine Le Gall-Marchand | Technical direction Chann Delisle and Paul ForestoProduction Théâtre de la Pire Espèce