Upside Down

“How can we see with our ears? Feel with our eyes?”

— Laurie Anderson
 
While adapting to pandemic restrictions, Imago Theatre shifted its programming to include digital work to continue our commitment to hiring artists and to stay connected to our audience. 

In 2022, a group of Montreal theatre artists (Micheline Chevrier, Cristina Cugliandro, Brian Dooley, Jackie Gallant, Chantal Labonté, Alexandra Laferrière, Amelia Scott, Mireille Tawfik, Jennifer Roberts, Emma Tibaldo, and Diana Uribe) came together with community consultants (Clank, Jennifer Manning, and Leslie Tina Mintz) to create Upside Down.

What transpired was a series of narrative and documentary short films that explore disability and accessibility in digital theatre.

These new creations celebrate inclusivity in theatre creation and mark a moment in time when we strove to come together to create, despite the obstacles facing the world of live performance.

This filmed series consists of three different parts, which are:

Home (Part 1)

Margaret and Hakim are children working in a mine, gathering silence. A Documentarian reports on their conditions as a rescue mission changes the status quo. 

Presented in English with ASL overlay and optional captions.

Home (Part 2)

Margaret and Hakima are alone, high up in their tree house surrounded by fireflies. They were given minerals of silence that, when activated, have a magical effect on memories, movement, and emotion.

Presented in ASL and English with optional captions.

Documentary

Who tells the story?

Go behind the scenes with the Upside Down creative team and their collaborators, as they explore and create digital theatre for people with low vision and d/Deaf communities.

Presented in English with ASL overlay and optional captions.

Co Creators:

Clank \ Consultant & Performer
Micheline Chevrier \ Direction
Cristina Cugliandro \ Direction
Brian Dooley \ Performer
Jackie Gallant \ Sound Design
Chantal Labonté \ Lighting Design
Alexandra Laferrière \ Performer
Jennifer Manning \ Consultant & Performer
Amelia Scott \ Projection Design
Mireille Tawfik \ Playwright of "Home"
Jennifer Roberts \ Consultant & Performer
Emma Tibaldo \ Dramaturge
Diana Uribe \ Set and Costume Design
Elena Anciro \ Audio Description
Leni Krivy & Danielle Laurin \ Voice Overs
Leslie Tina Mintz \ Consultant
Maxime Lehmann \ Technical and Cinematography Support & Editing
Christina Morden \ ASL Interpretation
Pablo Pugliese \ Cinematography & Editing

English and ASL with captions
Company: Imago Theatre
Rating: All Ages
Cost: Pay-What-You-Can
DIGITAL PERFORMANCE

SCHEDULE

This performance is available on-demand. Your single ticket purchase allows you to view the show at any time during the 6-day festival period from March 4th to 9th, 2025.