Mandate

Joe Jack & John creates engaged and innovative theatrical productions through collective writing and with inclusive teams, including professional artists of functional diversity – notably neurodivergent artists and artists with intellectual disabilities. Joe Jack & John works at the intersection of theatre and life, as though one were the extension of the other; a way to interrogate, rummage through, and above all, to take part.

Over the past twenty years, the company has developed a creative process that is both accessible and ethical, which emphasizes interdependence, self-determination and devised creation to draw out free and honest speech destined for diverse audiences. Current issues, or questions which resonate contemporarily, are at the heart of the work. Joe Jack & John thus allows the emergence of a theatre which renews the way we perceive ourselves and tell our stories.

The company’s humanist values translate into fervently defended principles, which influence methods of creation, production and performance. Joe Jack & John’s tight-knit teams collaborate slowly, with kindness, and with humour. 

History

For the complete company production history, please see the Archives section of JOE CREATES.

In October 2003, Catherine Bourgeois co-founded Joe Jack & John with the desire to create politically engaged, performative, and relevant theatre. From 2003 to 2009 she shared the leadership of the company with Amélie Dumoulin, with whom she co-created the company’s first four shows. Together they developed the foundation of theatrical performance that would come to characterize the work of JJJ. Beginning with Quand j’étais un animal (manuel de taxidermie) [When I Was an Animal (Taxidermy Manual)] (2004), they explored the possibilities of inclusive casting, co-creation, and collective writing, thus creating a new aesthetic signature woven from singular voices. The duo also centre socially relevant themes in their work, such as in Go shopping (et fais le mort) [Go Shopping (and Play Dead)] presented at La Chapelle in 2006, which addressed grief with reference to George W. Bush’s speech in the aftermath of 9/11. They also experimented with site-specific productions, including Ce soir l’Amérique prend son bain [Tonight America Takes Its Bath] at the Bain Mathieu in 2005, and Mimi (myself et tous ceux qui me regardent) [Mimi (Myself and Everyone Who Looks at Me)], presented in an semi-industrial loft in Mile End in 2009. Since then, site-specific locations and themes inspired by current events have been major elements of the company’s aesthetic, fostering intimacy with the audience and a sense of heightened theatrical adventure.

At the end of the 2008-2009 season, Amélie Dumoulin left the company to pursue her own literary work and was replaced as Co-Artistic Director by Jean-Pascal Fournier. Thus began the development process of Just Fake It (Théâtre Aux Écuries, 2011), which  establish JJJ as a significant voice in Montreal’s artistic landscape. The reach of this production and the accolades it received (Prix LOJIQ-francophonie de la Bourse RIDEAU 2012, Prix Janine Sutto 2013, Meilleure mise en scène et Meilleur acteur pour Michael Nimbley au Gala des Cochons d’or 2012) opened doors for the company to travel and present its work on regional, national, and international stages, notably in Vancouver, Berlin, and Liège. During this same period, JJJ also established Les Lundis théâtre [Theatre Mondays], an outreach project aimed at young adults with Down Syndrome, in partnership with RT21/Quebec Down Syndrome. In 2012, Jean-Pascal stepped down from the position of Co-Artistic Director in order to transition into a career in the visual arts.

Since the summer of 2012, Catherine has assumed the sole general and creative leadership of the company. As always, she surrounds herself with trusted artistic collaborators in order to create and develop works which contribute to the growing recognition of the company. There was AVALe [Swallow], (Théâtre Aux Écuries, 2014), followed by je ne veux pas marcher seul [I Don’t Want to Walk Alone] (in situ/Théâtre Aux Écuries, 2015), Abîmés – quatre courtes pièces de Samuel Beckett [Scarred – Four short plays by Samuel Beckett] (Théâtre Denise-Pelletier, 2016 and on tour in Normandy, 2017).

The company’s eight creation, Dis merci [Say thank you] (Espace Libre, 2018), enjoyed unprecedented visibility and brought the company to the Theatre Centre (Toronto), the National Arts Centre (Ottawa), the Cercle Molière (Winnipeg), and Mainz (Germany), in addition to numerous dates in Quebec and the Greater Montreal area. Overall, there were 50 performances of this tragicomedy about togetherness and welcoming refugees, before the pandemic put an end to its presentations.

In 2018, JJJ started an artistic leadership program which welcomed neurodivergent creators into key creative positions. In the winter of 2020, the company was proud to move into a brand-new office at Espace Libre as a resident company. This was an opportunity to improve the reception of their artists-in-residence : Michael Nimbley, who developed a contemporary Western tale following his alter-ego, Morrison; and Edon Descollines who debuted a roving piece in 2020 exploring the unrecognized humanity of shops and other sites of consumption. After a pandemic hiatus, the company produced the works of their artists in residence: Le magasin ferme by Edon Descollines (MAI (Montréal, arts interculturels), 2021) and Les Waitress sont tristes by Michael Nimbley (Espace Libre, 2022).

In May of 2021, JJJ presented VIOLETTE, a hybrid work of theatre and virtual reality. Audience members were received one at a time by Violette herself to experience a dreamlike and intimate tale which explores abuse and consent. This piece was a finalist for the Grand Prix du Conseil des arts de Montréal 2021.

In the spring of 2023, Cispersonnages en quête d’auteurice had the honour of being presented as part of the Festival TransAmériques in Montreal, followed by a co-production at Espace Libre in 2024. This scathing comedy tackles head-on questions raised by our society in search of inclusion : appropriation, consent, privilege and cancel culture. JJJ seeks to make audiences laugh and reflect, and to add its own inclusive grain of salt. The work will be on tour for the 2024-2025 season (go to JOHN’S SCHEDULE for more details).

Photos : Julie Rousse, Frédéric Bouchard, Glauco, Adrienne Surprenant, Frédérique Ménard-Aubin, Catherine Aboumrad, Charles Lafrance.