From March 4 to 8, 2020, puppetry blazed brightly in Montr\u00e9al. The 15th edition of Festival de Casteliers broke attendance records once again and brought together a large audience of both young and old with 30 performances and numerous parallel activities and exhibitions.<\/p>\n
The video projection of Mulan, presented in solidarity with the Shanghai Puppet Theater, whose team unfortunately was unable to travel here, celebrated the thousand-year-old tradition of shadow puppetry combined with digital animation.<\/p>\n
Opening night was also the occasion to highlight the exceptional career of Andr\u00e9 Lalibert\u00e9, artistic director of Th\u00e9\u00e2tre de l\u2019\u0152il, and to celebrate Casteliers\u2019 15th anniversary and the dedication of Louise Lapointe, its founder, artistic director and co-director general.<\/p>\n
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Ten shows from France, Greece, Belgium, Finland, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Canada and Qu\u00e9bec offered a magnificent portrait of contemporary puppetry, with performances that ranged from the very classic to the very unconventional. Whether a warrior tale, a futurist dystopia or a story of migrant crisis, the Festival de Casteliers\u2019 programming showcased once again the infinite richness and diversity of the themes, techniques and forms of puppetry arts.<\/p>\n
Festival de Casteliers is also a key moment for bringing together members of the profession, with its proliferation of get-togethers, exchanges and collaborations between presenters and artists, from here and abroad, all united to celebrate the 11th art. This year, a delegation of 35 presenters from around the world took part in the festival and was witness to the dynamism of the puppetry milieu in Qu\u00e9bec. The Pavillon Saint-Viateur was pulsating once again with the energy of the new and up-and-coming generation of artists and of the OUF! Off-Festival de Casteliers all week long.<\/p>\n
Casteliers extends its heartfelt thanks to the puppeteers, technical teams, partners and sponsors, volunteers and all the spectators who contributed to the festival\u2019s success.<\/p>\n
Casteliers would also like to thank the Canadian and Qu\u00e9bec governments, the City of Montr\u00e9al, the Outremont borough, as well as the French Consulate General in Qu\u00e9bec City, the Mexican Consulate General in Montr\u00e9al, the Consulate General of the People\u2019s Republic of China in Montr\u00e9al, the Confucius Institute in Qu\u00e9bec, Realta and the Holiday Inn Montr\u00e9al Downtown for their precious support.<\/p>\n
Casteliers also wishes to thank Desjardins, whose participation as the 15th Festival de Casteliers\u2019 Official Presenter is made possible thanks to the Caisse des Versants du mont Royal and the Caisse de la Culture.<\/p>\n