Carlos in Therapy

The company’s eleventh production to date, this new collective and bilingual work explores the phenomenon of pathological liars.

At no other time in history have human beings been surrounded by actors. At no other time has entertainment been the driving force of our existence. At no other time has the line separating illusion from reality been so vague and tenuous. Turn on your television if you are unsure about this. Listen to the news if you still have doubts. Or not, because this, too, could be propaganda.

Carlos in Therapy examines this hopelessly ambiguous landscape, where lying is the norm, confession is mandatory and where co-existence of the two is precarious at best.
A companion piece to Human Collision, Carlos in Therapy explores the workings of inner, rather that outer, space. However, instead of galaxies, black holes, chaos theory and atomic particles, we are plunged into an equally complex psychological universe – a modern-life-as-soap-opera – that fuels our Net-driven age.
2001

production

September 11 – 29, 2001

Théâtre Prospero
1371, rue Ontario Est,
 Montreal
Carlos in Therapy a collective creation
Directed by
Stacey Christodoulou
With
Philippe Ducros
Alex Ivanovici
Marina Lapina
Caroline Lavoie
and
Elizabeth Robertson
Set Design and Costumes
David Vivian
Lighting
David Perreault Ninacs
Sound
Kirk Wight
Stage Manager
Barbara Zsigovics
Technical Director
Guy Robinson
Production Manager
Richard Cliff
 
We also gratefully acknowledge the support of the Ville de Montréal, VOIR, Hour, CISM, CKUT, and Opticien Georges Laoun.
Brillante recherche …Tout comme Kaspar et Human Collision/Atomic Reaction, dont il se veut un pendant, Carlos In Therapy réserve un rôle primordial au langage et se rapproche davantage de la poésie que de la prose. L’utilisation en convergence de divers moyens d’expression, combinée à un texte solide, suscite un climat onirique où tout devient possible, où tout prend un sens.

Solange Lévesque
Le Devoir, 20 septembre, 2001
Néanmoins, elle force à la réflexion, encore plus d’ailleurs à la lumière des derniers événements, où il est clair que la nécessité de donner une «bon show», que ce soit en politique, à la télévision, en psychologie ou en matière terroriste, prime pratiquement tout. Et en privilégiant une forme très éclatée, comme si on passait d’un poste à l’autre à l’aide de cette télécommande vivante que sont les comédiens, Carlos in Therapy est la preuve même que notre cerveau peut se contenter de bribes d’informations pour créer malgré tout un discours cohérent.

Marie-Christine Blais
La Presse, 15 septembre, 2001
The acting, design, and direction of Carlos in Therapy are excellent.

Pat Donnelly
The Gazette, September 15, 2001
I think sometimes artists can be prophetic,’ a colleague whispered just as the lights went down at the start of Carlos in Therapy, and the ensuing performance proved that statement true … there’s enough in there to send a shiver up your spine in the wake of the World Trade Center attack.

Amy Barrat
The Mirror, September 20-27, 2001
BEST PLAYS 2001
Hour, December 21, 2001

 

Video

Trailer