Clouds in trousers fall from the sky
October 01, 2004 -
“If you like,
I’ll be furiously flesh elemental;
or, changing hues like the sky,
if you like,
I’ll be sublimely tender —
no longer a man, but a cloud in trousers!”
– Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky, A Cloud in Trousers (1915)
Ottawa, Ontario -- The National Arts Centre (NAC) French Theatre is delighted to launch its 2004–05 Family Theatre Series with the world premiere of Miroir, miroir…, a captivating fable full of beauty and mystery, produced by one of Quebec City’s newest theatre companies, Les Nuages en pantalon.
A collective creation by Claudia Gendreau, Jean-Philippe Joubert, Valérie Laroche, Julie Morel and Caroline Tanguay, this play for ages 8 to 12 is about identity (the eternal quest for the “I”) and friendship (those early contacts with others that mark and shape our whole lives). In building the story, the creative team sought inspiration in Western myths and fables about mirrors — a two-year journey of exploration and discovery that was, in their own words, “A perilous adventure / Difficult and sweet / An encounter with the imagination of a child / Who guided our first steps / Then with the creator / Who lives inside each of us / Like an embryo desperate to be born.” Les Nuages en pantalon are pleased to present the world premiere of this new work about two children who have so much to discover, so much to give.
Miroir, miroir…: An unusual meeting between a boy and a star
A young boy sits by a lake, trying to put a broken hand mirror back together. The mirror is very important to Mirko: it belonged to his mother, who was lost in a terrible shipwreck. How he wishes the mirror would show him, even for just a moment, the face of his long-lost mother… But someone is watching him. Hiding nearby, Cyria spies on the boy she would like to make friends with. “I’m a star,” she announces by way of introduction. Bit by bit, Cyria wins Mirko’s trust and friendship thanks to her vivid imagination, her inventive tinkering, and her stories of stars that explode and are born again.
Where do these clouds in trousers come from?
Les Nuages en pantalon was founded in 2001 by Jean-Philippe Joubert, Valérie Laroche and Caroline Tanguay (who at the time were recent graduates of the Conservatoire d’art dramatique de Québec) to explore the fluid line between theatre and dance and develop a writing practice that foregrounded the body and physical movement. Soon after their first production, a play for young audiences entitled Île et Ailes, designer Claudia Gendreau joined the creative team. Also in 2001 the company presented their first play for adult audiences, La Pêche et autres fruits érotiques, followed in 2002 by Satie, agacerie en tête de bois, a play for general audiences based on the music and writings of Erik Satie and featured at the 2004 Carrefour international de théâtre de Québec.
Les Nuages en pantalon is a creative crucible where practitioners of every artistic discipline come together to create productions based on physical movement, using mime, dance and gesture to integrate words, songs and dialogue into the language of the body. Each member of the creative team takes a turn at writing, directing, designing and performing, so that the production develops as a seamless whole.
The company’s name, reflecting their free-wheeling approach to creativity, comes from A Cloud in Trousers, one of the best-known works of the great Russian poet Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky (1893-1930).
Miroir, miroir…
A collective creation by Claudia Gendreau, Jean-Philippe Joubert, Valérie Laroche, Julie Morel and Caroline Tanguay
Written by Caroline Tanguay / Directed by Jean-Philippe Joubert
Performed by Valérie Laroche and Jean-Philippe Joubert
Sets: Claudia Gendreau / Costumes: Julie Morel /
Props: Claudia Gendreau and Julie Morel
Original score: Stéphane Caron /
Lighting: Claudia Gendreau and Jean-Philippe Joubert
Projections: Jean-Philippe Joubert
Produced by Les Nuages en pantalon in partnership with Les Gros Becs (Quebec City)
Saturday, October 9 at 13:30 and Sunday, October 10 at 13:30 and 15:30 in the NAC Studio
Running time: 50 minutes
Tickets: $11.50 (adults and children)
On sale at the NAC Box Office (no service charges), through Ticketmaster (at all Ticketmaster outlets or by ‘phone, 613-755-1111) or online at www.nac-cna.ca
Subscriptions to the Série pour enfance still available!
Information:
Guy Warin, Communications Officer
NAC French Theatre
(613) 947-7000 or 1 866 850-2787, ext. 759
gwarin@nac-cna.ca
