History

A true crossroads for encounters between disciplines, cultures, and generations, Les 2 Mondes develops a comprehensive artistic project that seeks to create lasting connections with diverse audiences, both in Quebec and internationally.

A touring company, Les 2 Mondes has often been the first Quebec-based organization to cross certain borders in order to reach new audiences. Over the years, its productions have been seen and applauded in more than 35 countries, 350 cities, and nearly 80 international festivals.

Deeply rooted in its community, the company also relies on its creation space, lab2M: a large-scale hub for research and artistic development where bold and innovative projects take shape. Lab2M also hosts theatre companies in residence, reaffirming Les 2 Mondes’ commitment to actively supporting artistic creation and emerging artists.

In the beginning of the 1970s, taking part in the collective creation movement, Monique Rioux, France Mercille and Daniel Meilleur create together what is then called La Marmaille. As its name suggests, the company mainly focuses on theater for young audiences, and in addition to its creative work, develops an important social involvement component in collaboration with sociologist Jeanne LeRoux. With unique and unusual content, such as Cé tellement « cute » des enfants (1975), the company immediately asserts itself as a driving force in Quebec’s young creative scene. During the same period, the company partners with Théâtre de l’Œil and Le Carrousel to found the Maison Théâtre.

At the end of the 1980s, due to its growing success abroad, the company signs its first international coproduction with Turin’s Teatro dell’Angolo; Terre promise/​Terra promessa was performed no fewer than 580 times all around the world. After acting as official composer from the very beginning, Michel Robidoux joins the Artistic direction team in 1989.

The 1990s were shaped by another resoundingly successful creation: L’histoire de l’oie by Michel Marc Bouchard, which was performed 546 times in French, English, German and Spanish. With its shows reaching an increasingly wider audience, appealing to both young and adult spectators, the company chooses to change its name over the same period. La Marmaille thus becomes Les 2 Mondes.

Starting in 1996, the creation of the show Leitmotiv introduces a multimedia exploratory approach; as video designer Yves Dubé joins the artistic team, image and music play a greater role in creative projects. In the process, the company acquires its own creative center, to experiment with these technologies and fine-tune its shows.

Through this approach, Mémoire vive (2001) and 2 191 nuits (2003) are created, as well as Carnets de voyages (2008), a poetic show that takes a retrospective look at the company’s many peregrinations.

As a touring company that performed all around the world, Les 2 Mondes has been, on many occasions, Quebec’s first company to move beyond several borders. Throughout the years, their creations have been seen in more than 35 countries, 350 cities and close to 80 international festivals, earning a reputation of exceptional stature and notoriety. Among the shows that have garnered the company’s renown, figure Terre promise/​Terra promessa (1989), L’histoire de l’oie (1991), Leitmotiv (1996) and Mémoire vive (2001).

In 2009, the company chooses to share its production and dissemination center with young companies grouped under the aegis Théâtre aux Écuries.

In 2013, Daniel Meilleur, after forty years at the helm of Les 2 Mondes, decides to step down, along with his collaborators Michel Robidoux and Yves Dubé. While the company is at a pivotal moment of its development, it has daringly reinvented itself by entrusting its Artistic direction to an author. The playwright Sébastien Harrisson will lead Les 2 Mondes from 2013 to 2022. Associated with the company since 2019, the director Eric Jean is appointed General co-director and Artistic director in 2023.

Even today, the company continues to assert itself on the national and international scenes, particularly due to Warda (2016), coproduced with Le Rideau de Bruxelles, as well as its two creations for young audiences, Dans ma maison de papier, j’ai des poèmes sur le feu (2014), coproduced with Les Coups de Théâtre Festival and the Salle Jean-Marc-Dion in Sept-Îles, and Les Inventions à deux voix (2018).

Becoming Chelsea (2020) is a fictional story inspired by the high-profile figure of Chelsea Manning and the WikiLeaks case. It was presented at Théâtre Prospero from February 25 to March 14, 2020, then on tour in Quebec in autumn 2022, stopping by Le Diamant in Quebec City.

The company’s latest creations include Faon, directed by the company’s Artistic director Eric Jean which, after a tour of Quebec during 2024 – 2025, will be performed at Théâtre Denise-Pelletier from August 27 to September 13, 2025.

Also, Ma vie Rouge Kubrick which, after a run at Théâtre Denise-Pelletier in autumn 2024, will tour Quebec and play at the Festival d’Avignon in 2026.

“The challenge, together with our team, will be to keep innovating over time — just as the company’s founders did — while reaffirming Les 2 Mondes’ identity and enriching the unique intergenerational bond we share with audiences here and abroad.” — Eric Jean and Alexis Pitkevicht

Eric Jean, Artistic Director, guides the company’s artistic vision with a thoughtful and committed approach. Through works that question our times, he brings to light human stories filled with meaning and resonance.

Alexis Pitkevicht, Administrative Director, oversees the company’s financial and organizational management. With strong expertise in cultural administration, he ensures the sustainability of projects while supporting their strategic growth.

Together, they embody a leadership that is human, rigorous, and creative — serving a theatre that connects generations, languages, and imaginations.

Since its foundation in 1973, the theater company Les 2 Mondes has distinguished itself as a true pioneer in artistic intervention with different audiences.

At the forefront of this initiative, Monique Rioux, through her unwavering commitment, has forged an exceptional legacy within Quebec’s cultural scene. Her inspiring career is a testament to her dedication to building bridges between theater and multiple communities, both in Quebec and internationally. This contribution has been an integral part of the company for 50 years. Les 2 Mondes thus remains an essential actor, shaping a dynamic dialogue between theater and society, providing lasting foundations to a shared cultural experience, implementing activities that broaden horizons and optimizing cultural accessibility.