Philippe Quesne, one of France’s most important theatre makers, brings together a small, slightly eccentric community in his new work, which questions the role of art in everyday life with humour and melancholy. A subtle play about loneliness, community and the magic of everyday life. “Le Paradoxe de John” ties in with one of Philippe Quesne’s first plays, which captivated audiences in an unmistakable way: in 2007, in “L’Effet de Serge,” the director portrayed a lonely man who organises small shows for his friends on Sundays, inviting them into his unique and fragile fantasy world. In Quesne’s new work, the focus is now on a small group of friends who set up an art gallery together. A humorous and poetic universe emerges on stage, created from animated objects, a pianola and foam sculptures. The play once again explores the place of art in everyday life, while musical and visual inventions meet the poetically idiosyncratic texts of Laura Vazquez. Between effective effects and absurd situations, a theatre of intimacy emerges, bringing people and objects together in a shared, atmospheric composition and emphasising the necessity of the artistic act, however small it may be.
Infos
- Duration: 80 minutes
- Language: French, English, Italian with German and English surtitles
- Mon 11 May: artist talk afterwards
Accessibility
Accessibility of Location
Sponsors and Supporters
Konzept, Inszenierung, Bühnenbild: Philippe Quesne
Text: Laura Vazquez
Mit: Isabelle Angotti, Céleste Brunnquell, Marc Susini, Veronika Vasilyeva-Rije, Marc Chevillon
Kostüme: Anna Carraud
Kostümassistenz: Mirabelle Perot
Bühnenmanagment und künstlerische Zusammenarbeit: François Boulet, Marc Chevillon
Technische Mitarbeit: Thomas Laigle
Malerei und Dekor: Marie Maresca
Produktion: Alice Merer / Vivarium Studio
Produktionsassistenz: Mathilde Prevors
Musik: Noel Boggs, Fred Buscaglione, John Cage, Morton Feldman, Friedrich Hollaender, Lucy Railton, Franz Schubert, Demetrio Stratos, Riz Ortolani
Dank an: Zinn Atmane, Lola Bourdin (eniedocc), Jean-Charles Dumay, Léo Gobin, Sébastien Jacobs, Paul Nougé, Florian Sanchez (Eugène Blove), Lisa Sturacci, Maud Wyler, Julia Zastava
„Le Paradoxe de John“ wird im Rahmen des Jubiläumsprogramms „100 Jahre Mousonturm“ durch das Kulturamt der Stadt Frankfurt am Main gefördert.
Koproduktion: La Commune, CDN Aubervilliers, Festival d’Automne in Paris, Théâtre de la Bastille, Théâtre Garonne – Scène européenne, Maillon Théâtre de Strasbourg – Scène européenne, Maison Saint-Gervais – Genf; Kampnagel Hamburg.
Unterstützt von: Region Île-de-France. Vivarium Studio wird von der DRAC Île-de-France – Kulturministerium – gefördert. Das Ensemble erhält regelmäßige Unterstützung vom Institut Français für seine internationalen Tourneen.
Biografie
After studying fine art and stage design in Paris, he worked for over ten years as a stage designer before founding the Vivarium Studio company in 2003. He has created a theatrical world and productions in which people and their environment interact. His plays tour all over the world, and new productions are being created with foreign companies. He was the artistic director of the Théâtre Nanterre-Amandiers (2014–2020), Ménagerie de Verre in Paris (2022–2025). His works are characterised by a poetic and experimental approach to materials, objects and collective ways of life in everyday life – as well as by the quiet absurdity with which they magically celebrate the beauty of the ordinary.