As part of its ongoing Warrior Festival, The Cultch presents N.Ormes by Agathe et Adrien (Quebec) until April 27th. Having toured the show around the world, the Circus School of Quebec graduates’ opening at The Cultch coincided with the 100th performance of the work adding extra energy to the already energetic production.
Co-produced with Acting for Climate-Montreal, N.Ormes is a complex, creative circus performance that challenges the physical form. From the opening crackles of the gramophone, the duo, dressed in calming, cream casual costumes, begins with simple, intimate movements belying the power that lies ahead. Like silent film performers, accompanied by the soundtrack and the sound of their breathing, Agathe and Adrien allow their movements and faces to portray a host of emotions; humour, intimacy, angst, exhaustion and more. At times playful like a young couple, while other moments reflect sibling-like rivalry, and later their physical form blends so seamlessly that they become one entity in perfect synchronicity.
Not a traditional circus show, N.Ormes doesn’t have any rings, ropes, trapeze or equipment other than a single milk crate, a spotlight (lighting by Claire Seyller) and the bodies of the two performers. It does have mesmerizing skills and dazzling movements, comic moment, and gender defying dynamics. Despite a near-foot difference in height, Agathe and Adrien are a match in physical strength and skill, each one mirroring the others’ tricks and turns. Bounding, balancing, pushing and pulling, they move between the skills with such ease it seems effortless, keeping the audience enraptured until the lights dim again, leaving the spectators to perform one final movement – leaping to their feet in applause.
N.Ormes by Agathe et Adrien continues through April 27, 2025 at The Cultch Historic Theatre, 1895 Venables Street. Find details and tickets for N.Ormes and the other Warrior Festival productions at thecultch.com/warrior-festival