Théâtre des Petites Lanternes explores old haunts in new ways
The Théâtre des Petites Lanternes (TPL) held its Fête du Quartier de la Création this past Saturday, inviting the population to explore the part of downtown Sherbrooke that surrounds Wellington Street South. Organized as a part of the theatre’s “Quatre-quarts” project, the event was the second of four festivals planned to take place this year celebrating the unique and defining qualities of four different downtown neighbourhoods.
According to Kristelle Holliday, the Executive and Artistic Director of the theatre company, the Fête du Quartier de la Création was built around a whimsical kind of treasure hunt that called on participants to use their five senses to explore the streets and sector around Wellington in ways they might never have considered before. Over the course of roughly two hours, participants were taken on an adventure that involved having a back alley tea party with pink flamingos, using a payphone to listen to a poem, and collaborating on a public artwork in the square near the old train station, among other activities.
“What people reported back to us was that it was fascinating to think they knew the area and realize that actually they didn’t,” Holliday said, sharing that about 95 people did the tour in groups of about two to six people over the course of the day, and roughly 200 people participated in the day altogether.
“I love it when people can see different parts of the town,” the organizer said, referring to the example of the phone booth as something people might pass by every day, that they were challenged to look at differently. “It was awesome.”
The two remaining neighbourhood festivals will revolve around the areas that the company has dubbed the “Quartier des musées”, around Dufferin Street, and the “Quartier de la Cathedrale” which surrounds Marquette Street.
TPL’S annual lantern festival is also coming up this fall, with the programming set to be announced early next week.