Le Concierge (The Caretaker)

Le Concierge is an immersive theatre experience co-created by Daniele Bartolini and Vincent Leblanc-Beaudoin. Performed for no more than 20 audience members at a time, the show leads the audience through the empty hallways of a school as they follow a lone janitor on his nightly rounds. The audience, like flies on the wall, might first notice the harsh nature of this endless, isolating, blue-collar labour. The janitor cleans toilets. He mops floors. Every task is approached with care, thoroughness, and pride. But the night progresses, and the play’s naturalism gives way to dreamlike discomfort as the audience plunges into the protagonist’s nightmarish state of solitude and disquietude. This silent solo performance offers fertile grounds for each audience member’s imagination to build their own interpretation. In doing so, the janitor becomes symbolic—even mythical. Not unlike Sisyphus, through his absurd, repetitive, and interminable labour, the protagonist becomes allegorical of the human condition.

Note: Although this is a French production, it is completely accessible to English speakers since it is a wordless theatrical experience.