Le Monastère Circus-Cabaret – The time has finally come for us to announce the relocation of Le Monastère’s circus cabaret to St Jax Montreal (1439 Ste-Catherine Street West). This beautiful, centrally located 19th-century church is as symbolic for our organization as it is for the city at large, which will now get to enjoy more varied cultural programming all year round.
St Jax Montreal offers us a breathtakingly beautiful and completely distinctive venue, where circus performances can take place in a more intimate setting, allowing both our local public and international visitors to admire performers who are at the top of their art form, in the heart of the circus capital of the world, according to Guillaume Blais and Rosalie Beauchamp, Le Monastère’s co-founders.
Montreal is home to modern-day circus’ best renowned performers. One need only think of the artists who took part in Quebec’s circus renaissance; at Cirque du Soleil, Cirque Éloize, les 7 doigts de la main and Cirque Alfonse; where iconic, never-before-seen numbers forever altered the nature of their discipline. Le Monastère has made it its duty to feature the brightest stars of this living art form—winners of international competitions such as those of Monte Carlo and Cirque de Demain, as well of graduates of Quebec’s internationally renowned circus schools—in a pared down setting, free from the distraction of extravagant stage direction. In two short years, Le Monastère has captured the attention of a broad audience, thanks in no small part to its unusual circus-focused programming: Each and every production—ten of them, this year alone—is absolutely unique, to allow our audience to continually discover new content.
The cabaret formula which is favoured by Le Monastère borrows heavily from the performance style which was born in 1881 at Montmartre’s Chat Noir, and then took off in Berlin, around 1901, with the Überbretti, which distracted the city’s population during the war-time, while also serving as a political propaganda platform.
Now far removed from these origins, Le Monastère nonetheless favours diversity and minimalism. It is a stage where artists can perform their creations in an intimate, fully immersive, context. The venue includes a central stage, a bar, stage-adjacent tables and full service, highlighting local products, at a very reasonable price of admission (starting at $30). Its festive ambiance, where artists and audience can mingle after the main performance, creates a singularly pleasant atmosphere. Cabaret Le Monastère is still at its pilot phase, and we intend to tap into its full, exportable potential, with shows traveling to the other Canadian provinces, starting with Ontario, as soon as 2020.
Its Valentine’s Day premiere on February 14th, with a repeat performance on the 15th, will stage a cabaret where, as in love, diversity reigns supreme. Audiences will delight in the performance of internationally acclaimed feminine trapeze duo, Evelyne and Shannon, who having already won several notable accolades, now feature in Cirque du Soleil’s Bazaar show. Matthew Richardson, renowned circus performer and LGBT community activist will join us for the evening, and numbering among the many performers who will feature in the premiere, audiences can also expect the aerial strap stylings of Guillaume Paquin and Nicole Faubert. Both are rising stars of the circus world, and will participate in the upcoming prestigious
Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain, in Paris. The evening’s tone will be set by Montreal-based Give, who will lend a soulful touch to the atmosphere while audiences settle in with a drink, and the proceedings will continue into the wee hours, with DJ Guillaume Biron at the decks.
2019 Events Calendar
- Shows are slated for the months of February, April, May, July, August, October, November and December.
- To find out about the exact dates or to know more about the cabarets being presented, please visit the website:
About Le Monastère Circus-Cabaret – Founded in 2016 by Rosalie Beauchamp and Guillaume Blais, Le Monastère is a non-profit organization whose chosen mission is to promote both the circus arts and the city of Montreal on the international stage. Its founders, both artists who have extensively travelled the world performing with Cirque du Soleil and major German performance troupes, believe that it is of the utmost importance to present new ways for culturally savvy audiences to appreciate this art form. The cabaret formula which is favoured by Le Monastère promotes the discovery (and rediscovery) of talented artists in a warm, casual atmosphere. Taking its cues from European cabarets, Le Monastère’s artistic vision has made it a priority to foster home-grown talent. Its intimate soirees are now elevated by its new settings, in the exceptional performance space offered by St Jax Montreal. This never-before-seen formula will render high-end performances more accessible to all.
