Vive l’Armée !
Fresh points of view
“Yes, France is at war with terrorism.” A few days after the terror attacks in Paris, the French Prime Minister Manuel Valls fuels a great many discussions. Surveys have shown that the French population’s attitude towards the army is more positive than ever. But what kind of army? A modern army of drones and Special Forces? Or an army like in WWI, with trenches and mustard gas?
Film footage shows a camera team in a Viennese Biedermeier salon, a soldier’s brothel and – chiefly – wandering through the fields of Northern France. They are searching for the right locations for a re-enactment of the Battle of the Somme. In the meantime, a kidnapping unfolds on stage during a chic event in Paris. When negotiation fails, Special Forces move in. But what if the hostage takers are fighting for a good cause?
In times of declarations of war, the revival of nationalistic thinking and an excess of extreme, simplistic solutions, the French-Austrian theatre collective Superamas offers fresh points of view. Vive l’Armée ! is a reflection on war, violence, propaganda and nationalism. Based on the familiar Superamas recipe, you see a continuously interlinked mix of storylines translated into text, images and music.
“VIVE L´ARMÉE!” by SUPERAMAS
Produced by Superamas | Concept, performance, set, sound, light design by Superamas | Performers Teresa Acevedo, Agata Maszkiewicz, Agnieszka Ryszkiewicz, Superamas | Contributions on screen by Jacques Pauwels, Lycée Robert de Luzarches , Lycée Madeleine Michelis and the young people of the workshop for theatre of the Service Jeunesse in Amiens | Costumes Sofie Durnez | Voices Tess Bryant, Davis Freeman, Dianne Weller, Stormy Leugers, Superamas | Music «A Piece of Sky» Music © Ginger Dellenbaugh All Rights Reserved a.o. | Research program produced by apap - advancing performing arts project -with the support of the Culture Program of the European Union | Co-producers Maison de la Culture Amiens, Tanzquartier Vienna, Kaaitheater Brussels, BIT-Teatergarasjen Bergen, House on Fire with the support of the Culture Program of the European Union | Supported by City of Vienna, Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles Hauts-de France / Ministère de la culture et de la communication, Conseil Régional Hauts-de France, Amiens Métropole, La mission centenaire 2016 | In collaboration with Buda Art Center Kortrik, Szene Salzburg, ARC- artist residency, Romainmôtier, Abbaye de Saint Riquier, Centre Culturel Jacques Tati Amiens, France, Programme "Parcours découverte" Région Hauts-de-France | Thanks to Luc Moreau, Julia Walleczek-Fritz, Detlef Polay, Meinhard Rauchensteiner, Chad Wiens. Thanks to brut and Tanzquartier Vienna for hosting stations open to public towards this work.
The Film: “WE ARE HERE“
Realisation, production, sound Superamas | Camera Geoffroy Duval, Mickaël Titrent, Mickaël Troivaux | Choreographie Agnieszka Ryszkiewicz, Agata Maszkiewicz & Superamas | Costumes Sofie Durnez | With Jacques Pauwels, high school students of Lycée Robert de Luzarches , Lycée Madeleine Michelis and the young people of the workshop for theatre of the Service Jeunesse in Amiens, Agnieszka Ryszkiewicz, Geoffroy Duval, Sofie Durnez, Superamas | Music Vegh Quartet playing Beethoven string quartets #1 in F, Op. 18/1-2 , Les Raconteurs playing Call it a Day, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra playing Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring conducted by Leonard Bernstein, «A Piece of Sky» Music © Ginger Dellenbaugh All Rights Reserved | Sound excerpts Leonard Bernstein in Salzau 1987 - Part II: With him up front..." Orchestral Work with Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring" . Video Director: Humphrey Burton, Horant H. Hohlfeld - Unitel Production 1988, Couleurs tranchées : Paul Collaer et Joseph Jongen. Par Philippe Dewolf, avec Paul Collaer. Musique: Igor Stravinsky, Le Sacre du printemps, Orchestre de Cleveland dirigé par Pierre Boulez | Film excerpt The Path of Glory by Stanley Kubrick | Thanks to The teachers Catherine Peuziat, Stéphanie Legendre, Valérie Roger and Nathalie Casquinha as well as Hocine Tighersine and Céline Bergeron, Bruno De Saedeleer and the association “Sauvegarde du Patrimoine” Lassigny France | With the help from Conseil Régional de Hauts-de-France, Mission Centenaire, Maison de la Culture d´Amiens
op donderdag 19/01
