Run to see what’s happening at this charming new venue (only 5 years old) that combines entertainment and reflection under the leadership of its director, Anthéa Sogno.
Let’s highlight “The Shaman and Me” with the outspoken comedian, Sophie Forte. Following the success of “Dalai and Me,” she returns in the role of a 42-year-old woman who has not given up on her desire for a child and who travels to the Amazon to find a shaman, accompanied only by a local guide. We laugh and are moved, and the characters are surprising.
“In Those Days, Love” by Pierre-Yves Desmonceaux is a universally relevant and humanistic fable, telling the story of a man who returns from Auschwitz and wants to pass on to his son what he saw on the train leading him to the camp: a father teaching his 12-year-old son French, math, Mozart, Spinoza, and even love.
Do not miss “Firefighters” either, one of the hits of the Avignon Off Festival, featuring William Mesguich and Camille Carraz. A somewhat simple-minded girl cannot say no to a firefighter who introduces her to the entire firehouse. They eventually find themselves in court. Cynicism and manipulation. A heart-wrenching show.
Also worth seeing is the musical “Figaroh!” by Frédéric Mairy, situated between “The Marriage of Figaro” and “Figaro’s Wedding” by Mozart.
“What Are You Talking About?” is a romantic comedy by Jean Tardieu. Sophie Aiccard directs these five short plays that play with words and twist the language, questioning communication. Absurdity and poetry. A show for both young and old.
Also see “A Report to an Academy” by Kafka, adapted and directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky: the story of a gorilla who becomes a man. A look at our condition, a critique of imposed social models.
“The Amorous Dictionary of Theatre” by the famous political journalist, Christophe Barbier, a director of already around sixty plays, offers an overview of everything an actor experiences: stage fright, costumes, backstage. We should have fun with Christophe Barbier and Anthéa Sogno.
“The Bad Students,” directed by Shirley and Dino, will be “The Lovers of Shakespeare,” in other words, the champions of English culture.
I particularly recommend “Discourse on Voluntary Servitude” by La Boétie. François Clavier, surrounded by books, makes us reflect on the mechanisms of tyranny and our ambiguous relationship with power and submission. The work of a humanist who relies on ancient texts, from Seneca to Aristotle.
Finally, or almost, don’t miss “To Resist is to Exist” by and with François Bourcier: a gallery of characters among the righteous, resistants, and anonymous heroes, far from train saboteurs and other FFI, who, through their bravery in their small isolated acts, managed to throw a wrench into the oppressor’s machine. A Theatre of Engagement.
Let’s conclude with “Griselidis” by Coraly Zahonero or the passionate loves of this writer, painter, and prostitute who fought for their dignity.
There you have it! Be curious!
Roland Haugades
