Le Collectif Micro Focus

Le Collectif Micro Focus
present
“OUI”
Small urban fantastic scenes...
(I Do...)
Authors/performers
Morgane WIDMER & Jérémie HALTER
Director
Nicolas QUETELARD
Choreographer
Mathilde ROY
Musical creation
Adil KACED, Gabriel MORELA & Pablo POPAL
Costumes
Caroline HANNY & Inéha COSTEROUSSE
Artistical & Poetical Intentions
Life’s true adventure, loud and clear challenge is not running away from commitment but dare facing it.
Christiane SINGER, Eulogy of marriage, commitment and other crazy things
Topic
Morgane WIDMER and Jérémie HALTER met during the production of the show
“Discordes” by the Cie Sens Dessus Dessous.
They have decided to explore the universal topic of marriage and its numerous faces
through the ages.
Forced, arranged, of convenience, but also genuine proof of love; sealing a union before
God and the society, making a promise; A commitment attached to our deepest feelings:
our craving for security and need to be tied to someone…
A show that questions the oldest and most popular organisational model and illustrates
some of the thoughts connected to this moral and social commitment.
In order to emphasize our topic, we will flirt with its limits. The metaphorical beauty of
contemporary dance will underline the expressionism of gestural and absurd theatre.
New magic will also be part of it as well as circus, our common ground.
Statement of Intent
The daily routine of a relationship is laid before our eyes: violence of body collisions as
well as sweetness of glances given to one another…
Couples are glued together since the inaugural « I do ». A commitment. A wedding.
Isn’t the ceremony a perfect occasion to appeal to our close ones and the society itself ?
But what does it mean? What is a relationship? What is at stake before, during and after
the « I do »?
And which signs, which body language do two people speak when they are 20, 40, 60 or
80 years old?
Different marriages scenes or pictures will take place at different times and
different places throughout the city, underlining the temporal continuum of a couple’s life.
Live for the moment, remember, make plans, dream, stand, hold on. Connect, disconnect,
reconnect. Selected times within selected places in the city symbolizing a timeline, such as
a playground, a town hall or a church, a train station, a public square, a movie theatre and
a restaurant.
The Show
Text is what matter the least in a theatre play. They only hear one sentence out of two.
Jean ANOUILH
A show in 5 scenes, 5 places, 5 situations, 5 disciplines, 5 emotions
around a particular meaningful moment: “I do”.
5 scenes of 10 minutes each, a 50 minute show.
In the beginning of each scene, the couple takes the same position they had when the last scene
ended. This identical movement is an entry key for the public watching the life of this couple.
The history of a commitment. For better and for worst. For a life course.
Fragments of a life.
Each fragment illustrates
chosen moments and eras.
At five different times
during the course of a day,
a scene takes place in a
different place of the city.
Each place symbolizes
a fragment. However, the
story is not told in a
chronological order, but
includes flashbacks.
Paying attention to
the gestures, movements,
glances of people
spotted in the streets.
Emphasizing the aesthetics
or the burlesque of a
situation…
Drawing inspiration from
movies’ structure, particularly
flashbacks, as seen in
Alejandro GONZALES
IÑARRITU works such as
“21 grams”, “Amores perros”
and “Babel”.
Course of the perfomence
Let Venus do, she will bring you Mars.
Henri BERGSON, The Two Sources Of Morality And Religion
The Wedding Scene.
A paper dress, a town hall or a church, magical effects, gestural theatre.
Solemn commitment, wedding litany. Two single words to be pronounced. Two single
words bearing all the commitment and marital union symbols. The bride and the
groom play very genuinely. They are happy, blissful. Interaction with the audience. But
then it changes. The wedding dress starts to tear, the flowers fade, reality catches up
to them. End of the scene (change of state): under her paper dress, a white gown. The
groom opens up the paper dress, wraps it up around the bride; after a magical trick
(quick-change), the dress turns black.
The Encounter.
A movie theatre, the street. Joy, excitement, doubts, questions.
Dance, acrobatics, physical theatre. The first doubts, present since the beginning.
In the play: commitment of the body, in its physicality, sensibility, aesthetics,
magnitude. Talking gestures. Speaking glances. Emotions are palpable, expressed,
clashing.
The Fight.
Boxing gloves at a crossroad or a roundabout. Dramatic and comical. Settling
accounts. The two characters are boxing. This is THE fight. The guy is down, his
manhood hurt. He defends himself, in spite of his bad faith and absurdity.
Theatrical play and gesture. Playing clown, burlesque duo. The arbitrator is
someone from the audience. Two other people act as coaches. Real boxing attire,
way too large shorts. Play à la Buster Keaton. An actual size boxing ring drawn
with chalk.
The Proposal.
Commitment, link, rope, the one we tie the knot with?! A rope and a magic piece (play
with the ring). A public square or a garden with a hook for the rope. Strong challenges,
doubts, adoption of a standpoint, defining the positions, the roles. Magnets attracting
and rejecting one another. Tense breathing.
Two Elderly People.
A bench in a public square. Exploring the state of the bodies.
A choreography redesigning the features on the other’s face to make him look old.
A choreography of daily gestures becoming more and more difficult to achieve.
Slowly, feverishly, with lingering sound of youth still present.
Working on micro-movement.
Street Art & New Magic
The world of magic is an illusion and art is presenting this illusion to the world.
Paul VIRILIO (urbanist and essayist)
In human society, and especially in urban societies, the term “public space” refers to the
sum of gathering and passing areas. This show was born from the observation of random
people within this space. Moments picked up from daily life that we wish to restore as a
sensible lecture to the inhabitants, wandering through those places we live in.
New Magic
The term “magic” is ambiguous: for most people, it includes a symbolic connotation,
connected to charm, enchantment and marvel. New magic is an art whose expression is
the diversion of real in reality.
Magic helps locating oneself in relation to reality (space, time, objects) from a specific
point of view.
Movies and paintings depict reality within the frame of a picture.
Theatre and literature transpose reality into a metaphorical space. New magic plays with
reality within reality itself, that is, within the same space and time. No longer an illusion,
the images it creates is a reality.
Metamorphosis
A major change in the form, nature or structure resulting in the subject being no longer recognizable.
Petit Robert
We use this art to illustrate the passing of time, the transformation and the change of
mind of an emotion.
Magic in the street
From a technical point of view, doing magic and particularly illusionism outdoor, in a
public space, is way more impressive than inside the walls of a performance hall.
In the latter, the public can easily imagine the mechanism we find on a stage (hatches,
mirrors, threads) supporting magical tricks.
Frontal seating allows the use of perspective to create illusions of depth and hide some of
the subterfuges.
No constraints due to outdoor conditions. Clear boundaries between the stage and the
public assure that no one will cross the line and lighting hides what shouldn’t be seen.
Doing magic and creating illusions in the street is therefore a challenge.
Artistic Team
Let your dream devour your life, not your life devour your dream.
Antoine de SAINT-EXUPERY
Morgane WIDMER: Circus artist, dancer, actress.
Morgane is seven years old when she discovers circus. She enters the circus school
L’Elastique Citrique in Nyon (Switzerland), which will open her way in creation and
teaching. She then spends three years in the Ecole Supérieure des Arts du Cirque in
Brussels, before joining her childhood friend Stéphanie N’DUHIRAHE in Prague.
Together, they found the Compagnie des Pieds Perchés. Using aerial rope, they put
together two creations: “Foutaise” (2010) and “Le poids du vide” (2013), which are
presented in Switzerland, Czech Republic, Italy and Canada. She also starts an
international tour with Circus Mlejn (CZ) and Collectif and then…(GB) and studies
contemporary dance with Roberto OLIVAN during the internship “Deltebre dansa”.
In 2012, her presence is requested for the creation of the choreographic circus show
“Discorde” produced by Kim HYUNG and Jive FAURY from Cie Sens Dessus Dessous.
She meets Jérémie HALTER. An immediate complicity is born, and they decide to write
a show together, which will be a duo of gestural and physical theatre and new magic,
about marriage and commitment.
Jérémie HALTER : Circus artist, dancer, clown, outdoor actor.
Jérémie begins his training at the circus school “Le Salto” and starts teaching as well. After
an international tour with the project “Sin Frontera”, he co-founds Tapis Volant, a new
circus company with which he tours in Europe and Middle East. Then, he takes part in the
writing of a youth audience production from Cirque Nop. After that, he goes to Brussels,
where he discovers contemporary dance, clown and gestural theatre as well as the Jacques
LECOQ approach, leading to the creation of “Switch”, an objects’ handling solo that will
be presented in France and Europe. The same year, he teaches at l’Espace Catastrophe, a
place of artistic creation for circus arts. Subsequently, he performs dancing in “Ablution
Wassing” by choreographer Jordi L. Vidal as well as for the Collectif Mû. He also
co-writes two shows, one with Kitschnette and the other produced by the collective Micro
Focus, collective that he has just founded with Adil KACED. Another show put together
by the collective with the collaboration of Paul CRETIN-SOMBARDIER is touring at
the moment.
The training he receives in new magic, at the Merlan then at the CNAC with the Cie
14:20 leads to the creation of the Compagnie Morphée and the production of a show. He
also participates to a residency about the show “Discordes” organised by the Cie Sens
Dessus Dessous with Morgane WIDMER, which also leads to a new creation.
Nicolas QUETELARD: circus artist, juggler, carrier, clown, skateboarder, rapper and
foolishness specialist!
Fascinated by juggling since I was in my mother’s womb. I founded, with two friends, the
company “Perben¬é¬fice” and its first show, “Hypnose” in 2004. In 2005, I started a
training program at the circus school “Théâtre-Cirqule’ in Geneva and toured with the show
“le 13ème MOI” (2006). I specialized in the handling of objects with a preference for daily life
items. In 2007, with the help of two co-workers, I founded the company
“Le Ressort” with whom I did acrobatic lifts and hat handling. In 2009, I entered the Lido
(Centre des Arts du Cirque de Toulouse). In 2009/2010, I took part in the creation of “Parricide
Exit” with the company “d’elles”. For the last two years, I have been working on the handling of
waste bins and have allowed the evolution of Gorska in the show “L’Or Dur” with the company
“Le Ressort”.
Nicolas is also an actor within the company 220 vol and a director for the companies Bazar
Forain, La main s’affaire and Cirque Paradis.
Mathilde ROY : circus artist, dancer, clown
Matilde has been trained at the centre for circus arts Lomme and at the Lido in Toulouse.
She learns about reverse vertical position, contemporary dance, theatre as well as other
fabulous means of expression. In 2008, she creates Muchmuche company with Paul CRETIN-SOMBARDIER. She also joins the fairground circus company L’Estock fish and
takes part in the show “L’Affabulatoir”.
Agenda
Time is passing through the needle hole of hours.
Jules RENARD, Diary
Writing residency
1 – 8 March 2014, Turbul – Ecole de cirque, Nîmes.
Writing and Experimentation residency
16 – 22 June 2014, Extrême Jonglerie, Marseilles
1st public experimentation on June 21st 2014 at the Saint-Charles train station.
Piano player: « A vous de jouer ». Gab Morela.
Creative residence
Including a ten-minute presentation at the occasion of the residency’s night out.
21 – 31 October 2014, Théâtre du centaure, Marseille
18 – 23 January 2015, Retouramont, Paris
16 - 21 February 2015, CIAM, Aix en provence
2 - 8 March 2015, Le Hublot, Laragne
16 – 27 May 2015, CREAC, Marseille
28 May – 10 June 2015, Cirqueon, Praha
Pré-Première ( The wedding scene, The Encounter, The Proposal)
7 - 9 August 2015, Font’art, Pernes les Fontaines
1 an – noces de coton
2 ans – noces de cuir
3 ans – noces de froment
4 ans – noces de cire
5 ans – noces de bois
6 ans – noces de chypre
7 ans – noces de laine
8 ans – noces de coquelicot
9 ans – noces de faïence
10 ans – noces d’étain
11 ans – noces de corail
12 ans – noces de soie
13 ans – noces de muguet
14 ans – noces de plomb
15 ans – noces de cristal
16 ans – noces de saphir
17 ans – noces de rose
18 ans – noces de turquoise
19 ans – noces de cretonne
20 ans – noces de porcelaine
21 ans – noces d’opale
22 ans – noces de bronze
23 ans – noces de béryl
24 ans – noces de satin
25 ans – noces d’argent
26 ans – noces de jade
27 ans – noces d’acajou
28 ans – noces de nickel
29 ans – noces de velours
30 ans – noces de perle
31 ans – noces de basane
32 ans – noces de cuivre
33 ans – noces de porphyre
34 ans – noces d’ambre
35 ans – noces de rubis
36 ans – noces de mousseline
37 ans – noces de papier
38 ans – noces de mercure
39 ans – noces de crêpe
40 ans – noces d’émeraud
41 ans – noces de fer
42 ans – noces de nacre
43 ans – noces de flanelle
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de papier
de mercure
de crêpe
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de fer
de nacre
de flanelle
de topaze
de vermeil
de lavande
de cachemire
d’améthyste
de cèdre
d’or
de camélia
de tourmaline
de merisier
de zibeline
d’orchidée
de lapis-lazuli
d’azalée
d’érable
de vison
de diamant
de platane
d’ivoire
de lilas
d’astrakan
de palissandre
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de chinchilla
de granit
de mélèze
de platine
d’albâtre
de chêne
production.microfocus@gmail.com
Artist contact
Jérémie Halter: +33.6.18.44.13.58
Morgane Widmer: +33.6.28.25.79.48
Partners:
Production contact
Julie Schlemmer: +33.6.60.07.25.34