Returns Department

Twin sisters welcome you to the Returns Department, where merchandise returned to the store by disgruntled customers is inspected. They discover all sorts of dysfunctional objects and manufacturing defects on their conveyor belt. For them, dealing with complaints is like opening a box of chocolates. Little by little, the temptation to play with the merchandise takes hold, but the objects themselves play some tricks of their own!

Returns Department combines physical theater, circus, robotics and puppetry. With humor inspired by Chaplin and comic strips, the show takes a playful look behind the scenes of a production line. Through defective products, the characters find a space of freedom to express their creativity, invent, and evolve.



Duration: 55 minutes
For: Theatres, schools and
unconventional places
All audiences, from 4 years old
Capacity: 330 people
Technical Rider - Theatres
Technical Rider - Outdoor shows
Workshops


Access - Deaf, hard of hearing, Non-English speakers
Access - Autism spectrum disorder





Style: Physical comedy
Written, directed and performed by: Josette Lépine et Françoise Lépine
Artistic advisors: Michoue Sylvain, Louis-Dominique Lavigne, David Fiset, Michel Dallaire,
Avner Eisenberg, Marcelle Hudon, Vanessa Kneale
Set design: Josette Lépine, Françoise Lépine, Xavier Bélanger-Dorval, Sara-Claude Lépine
Costumes, lighting, and soundtrack: Josette Lépine and Françoise Lépine
Beat maker: Yuri Yann Lépine-Malone




Official selection: 
- Arts Touring Alliance of Alberta 2024
- International Market for Contemporary Circus 2022
- Montreal Art Council on tour 2022
- ROSEQ 2022




Word from the Artists
Children's creative space is reduced when their toys have only one function. Likewise for adults, our objects usually have a single function. We are, in a way, creators that the industry turns into consumers. At the Returns Department, we are reclaiming a world where everything has been preconceived for us. We juggle with toys, we tear paper with a helicopter, we draw on a conveyor belt. The show presents an atmosphere of vibrant, lively play, a way of approaching life through play and laughter. We encourage spectators of all ages to keep in mind that the human precedes the object, that we can play with objects as we please.



We acknowledge the support of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, the Canada Coucil for the Arts and Conseil des arts de Montréal.