Founded in February 2006, Système Kangourou was born out of the artistic collaboration of three Masters students, Claudine Robillard, Anne-Marie Guilmaine and Jonathan Nadeau, from the Université du Québec à Montréal's theatre school. It also came from a common desire to create theatre that was not only artistic, but ethical. Since its inception, Système Kangourou has strived to define a genre of theatre which is a hybrid between on-set action and direct contact with the audience. They call it "performative theatre". The dreams and aspirations of the company can be categorized as follows: creating audacious and adventurous; finding new and alternative ways to raise money, whether it be through performative benefit events or partnerships between sponsors and community organizations; developing underground projects with marginalized social groups; going on tour in Québec and abroad; as well as putting together workshops given by Système Kangourou at various schools in Québec.
During Système Kangourou's creative process, having a script is not a pre-requisite. It is developed in parallel with the performance itself. It is a collaboration between the director and the actor-performers. On stage, they do not play characters, other than their own multiple personalities. They are encouraged to be themselves in order to favour the expression of their experiences. Within the imbalance, each performer, with their doubts, anxiety, questions and unique abilities, are forced to face them head-on. We try to keep it as real and authentic as possible. But there are games, in the playful as well as active sense of the word. There is some theatre, but it is so vibrant, so filled with action, that it becomes performative. It is in this setting that we play with reality; it is trafficked, stretched and distorted. All of this with the goal of offering a dose of reality, true to all of its complexities.
The imbalance is also seen in the structure of the creation, a delicate balance between the scripted and the spontaneous. Organized chaos, an aspect close to Système Kangourou's heart and present in both of their first three productions. The imbalance, therefore, has an effect on the audience. As we interact with them directly, and invite them to participate, they are no longer relegated to the rôle of witness, but have a say in what happens. We send them signals, like messages in a bottle, and they have the option to take part in the creation.
