Corps fantômes

For Francis, Rachel and Mo, who are looking for love, exhilaration and their place in the world, things are moving fast. Between the die-in to honour Joe Rose and the raid at the Sex Garage, the three friends join the mobilization, because time is running out.

In 2025, Marion inherits a box with the personal effects of her father, whom she barely knew. In it, she discovers a script written over 30 years ago. Searching through her father’s past, she begins a journey of reconciliation. She takes us along with her as she retraces this recent, but often forgotten, story of a generation marked by tragedy, fear and solidarity.

A fictional account of real events, Corps fantômes plunges us into the reality of the gay community in the early 1990s, when 17 gay men were killed in Montréal. Anchoring the story in a historical framework rich in familiar references, it draws a direct line between our era and this largely undocumented episode from our past. La Messe Basse brought together eight artists for an ambitious collective project to reflect on how the community they invoke emerged. With the support of our writing residency program, these creators spent over two years searching through the archives and meeting with people to construct a moving narrative that introduces us to trailblazers like Michael Hendricks, Réjean Thomas, Claudine Metcalfe and Josée Yvon, as we revisit significant events from this pivotal era. Fully invested in the project, several artists from the collective are also members of the impressive cast of this monumental show. A must-see play, and a Quebec echo of Angels in America, Corps fantômes is a vibrant tribute to those who fought so courageously for LGBTQ+ rights, as well as the forgotten victims.