The Pyre
A metropolis at night
Theatre, dance, puppetry and visual art. The Franco-Austrian Gisèle Vienne has developed a polymorphic, enchanting and peculiar journey. Her performances and installations shift the boundaries between appearance and reality, play with our perceptions and so open up an ‘other’ world, that of our fears, dreams and secrets.
Whereas only two seasons ago Vienne transformed the Kaaitheater stage into a large forest with real trees (This is how you will disappear), now she has opted for one big light installation, a moving set of LED lamps. Like a metropolis at night. In this setting we see two mute characters, a dancer (Anja Rötgerkamp) and a boy. A mother and son? They are part of a story written by Dennis Cooper. A story that is the third part of the performance, a part to read after the performance or to take home with you in the form of a novel.
In The Pyre (the title refers to an ancient burning ritual) expression develops into abstract dance, a tableau vivant and a theatrical narration. A fascinating game that challenges our senses and sense of meaning, also thanks to the fascinating soundscape by her loyal musical partners KTL (Stephen O’Malley and Peter Rehberg).
Soul Food dinner with Gisèle Vienne
The French-Austrian Gisèle Vienne (1976) is a choreographer, director, performer and artist. Having graduated as a philosopher, she took a course as… a puppeteer. Since 2004 she has produced six pieces as choreographer and director, including This is how you will disappear (2010). In the reviews of this piece references are often made to David Lynch, Alain Robbe-Grillet and Lewis Carroll. Were they Vienne’s sources of inspiration? And what about the rest of her work? Interviewer Cis Bierinckx asks her about all this while you enjoy a delicious meal. The perfect run-up to the performance later in the evening.
conception, directing, choreography & scenography Gisèle Vienne | music written by, live performance and diffusion KTL (Stephen O’Malley and Peter Rehberg) | text Dennis Cooper | lights Patrick Riou | costumes José Enrique Ona Selfa | video Robin Kobrynski in collaboration with Patrick Riou & Gisèle Vienne | set & leds producer Designgroup Professional GmbH / LED lightdesign|other set’s element Espace et Cie | make up Mélanie Gerbeaux | performed by and created in collaboration with Anja Röttgerkamp and Lounès Pezet & Léon Rubbens | artistic collaboration Anne Mousselet | technical coordination team of Opéra de Lille | collaboration computer/music Ircam, Manuel Poletti and Thomas Goepfer | technical management Patrick Laganne or Olivier Desse | sound coordination Gérard d’Elia or Adrien Michel | light/video coordination Arnaud Lavisse | conception plans 3D Rémi Brabis | assistance scenographic research Marc Le Hingrat | international production and distribution Alma office, Anne-Lise Gobin & Alix Sarrade | administration & production/distribution in France PLATÔ, Séverine Péan, Carine Hilly & Julie Le Gall | executive producer DACM | co-producers (provisional), Opéra de Lille (FR), Le Parvis, Scène National de Tarbes (FR), Centre Pompidou, Les Spectacles Vivants - Paris (FR)|IRCAM – Paris (FR) / La Comédie de Caen, Centre Dramatique National de Normandie (FR) | coproduction Bonlieu Scène nationale Annecy et La Bâtie - Festival de Genève in the frame of PACT beneficiary from FEDER with the programme INTERREG IV A France-Suisse, Arts 276 Automne en Normandie (FR), Scène nationale d’Evreux (FR), Centre de Développement Chorégraphique Toulouse, Midi-Pyrénées (accueil en résidence) (FR), Centre Dramatique National Orléans Loiret Centre (FR), Centre Chorégraphique National Orléans (FR), Le Maillon, théâtre de Strasbourg, Scène européenne, Pôle Sud, scène conventionnée pour la danse à Strasbourg, Malta Festival Poznan 2013 (PL) / Holland Festival – Amsterdam (NL), International Summerfestival Hamburg (DE), Künstlerhaus Mousonturm – Frankfurt (DE), Next Festival, Eurometropolis Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai & Valenciennes (BE/FR), BIT Teatergarasjen – Bergen (NO), IDEOLOGIC ORGAN (FR), Designgroup Professional GmbH (DE)…
support to the creation Festival Actoral | with the support of DICRéAM / ministère de la Culture et de la Communication | within the framework of the project TRANSFABRIK| in collaboration with kunstencentrum BUDA, Kortrijk | thanks to P.O.L publisher for its special edition of “The Pyre” for this show | thanks to La Monnaie/De Munt (Brussels) and to Kaaitheater (Brussels) for putting their rehearsal studios at our disposal and Jonathan Capdevielle, Nicolas Herlin, Alexandre Vienne and to Bureau Cassiopée for the production work during the season 2011/2012 | Gisèle Vienne is associated artist at Parvis, Scène National de Tarbes Pyrénées since 2012. The company DACM is supported by DRAC Rhône-Alpes / Ministère de la culture et de la communication, by Région Rhône-Alpes, and by Institut Français for international touring
a House on Fire project; with the support of the culture program of the European Union
