The future of theatre is on full display at Montreal’s Centaur Theatre as the annual WinterWorks festival returns with a new lineup of boundary-pushing productions.

Hosted by Centaur Theatre, the festival features four fully produced Canadian works from established artists and emerging voices.

Centaur Theatre in Montreal on Feb.17, 2026. (Corinne Boyer, CityNews)

The performances run through to Feb. 22.

“These are shows that are fully produced, they’ve had a residency in the theater and they’re ready to meet our Centaur audiences,” said Rebecca Gibian, associate artist at Centaur Theatre.

From dance-theatre set to live-techno music to new playwriting voices, organizers say there is something for everyone.

“My goal when I program the festival is just to put on stage things that are going to surprise every kind of audience member,” said ,” said Gibian. “These are shows that are exciting and I think people who know theater will be curious to discover the different ways that theater can be told, can be shared. And people who maybe haven’t enjoyed theater in a long time, I think will come be surprised and kind of amazed at what we have here in the Centaur building.”

WinterWorks festival at the Centaur Theatre in Montreal on Feb.17, 2026. (Corinne Boyer, CityNews)

Among the featured works is ‘The Healing,’ an immersive dance-theatre production based on the childhood and coming-of-age journey of Montreal playwright and producer Marie Barlizo.

“The inspiration of the healing is my challenging relationship with my father who’s an alcoholic and had severe mental illness growing up and also growing up in a home that was quite violent at times and what that was like,” said Marie Barlizo, playwright & producer of ‘The Healing,’ WinterWorks.

To bring the story to life, Barlizo teamed up with longtime collaborator Aaron Jan and choreographer Hanna Kiel.

“We’ve been developing shows together since the pandemic,” said Aaron Jan, director of ‘The Healing,’ WinterWorks. “We started working together in 2020 and we’ve done, this is our second show together. And I kind of like, whenever I work on one of marie’s shows, I’m like, the writing is so vicious, it’s so violent and I love that.”

“Aaron Jahn had this incredible vision about turning this into a dance piece and I think it’s an incredible thing because sometimes with one person shows can be really stiff and you can get lost in the words and in the trauma of the story and what I love about turning it into a dance piece is that you actually move with the story,” said Barlizo.

Through contemporary dance and a dialogue soundtrack delivered without music, Jan says the production offers a glimpse into Barlizo’s emotional journey.

WinterWorks festival at the Centaur Theatre in Montreal on Feb.17, 2026. (Corinne Boyer, CityNews)

“What I think is beautiful about the healing is there’s those moments of serenity. There’s those moments where Marie’s character experience is like, oh my god, I’m getting out, then she’s plunged back into the depths of things,” said Jan.

“The message that I’d like people to take away with is that despite the challenges that we may grow up with or have and we struggle with that it’s possible to let it go and have a good life you know but you but it’s the choices we make and it’s also wanting things to change,” said Barlizo.

Performances of ‘The Healing’ run from Feb. 17 to Feb. 22 at 8 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee on the final day.