the spectator's school
The teaching of dramatic expression theater both in Option and in Specialty is built in a diptych: it combines artistic practice and a cultural approach. Each school year, about twenty shows are offered to students in each class in various cultural structures in Paris and the near suburbs (TGP de St Denis, 104-Paris, La Villette, Le Théâtre de l'Odéon, etc.) but in first place the MC93-Bobigny, cultural partner of the Lycée Louise Michel. The choice of shows, upstream, aims to capture the variety and richness of live performance, to introduce students to the different theatrical writings, to introduce them to French and foreign collectives and directors, as well as the different theatrical institutions. of today.
Meetings with the artistic teams are often organized before or after the shows; each theatrical outing is the subject of a choral analysis supervised by the two theater teachers.
Nourished by this frequent back and forth between theoretical teaching, theatrical practice and live performance, the students are then able to grasp the multiple challenges of contemporary theatre, becoming spectators and informed citizens.
the gaze factory
We went to attend the show by Frédérique Voruz, author and actress from Lalangue, directed by Simon Abkarian, on October 9, 2021 at the Cirque Electrique, Porte des Lilas. This is the testimony of a woman who recounts her strange bond with her one-legged mother who lost her leg in a mountain accident; on her hospital bed, having just learned that she had had a miscarriage, she said: “I will avenge myself on the children”.
When I arrived at Porte des Lilas, I had a lot of trouble getting to the Cirque Electrique, they even had to pick me up! But as soon as I arrived on the scene, I was rather intrigued by the decor, the atmosphere or at least the atmosphere that this place gave off: there was a lot of rust, circus accessories that framed the place , but it was not something disturbing, on the contrary it was part of the charm of the place, it was vintage! Then, when we entered inside the marquee, we discovered a restaurant! in the back of the room ; behind a plastic curtain, there was finally the place where the show was going to take place; for me it was smaller than I imagined at the beginning, and I was convinced that it was a waiting room and that afterwards we were going to go to the “real” room… I quickly realized that it was indeed the place where the actress was going to play when I saw her arrive: her mere presence animated this small space, with a minimalist decor, with a small stool and a projection screen behind scene at the front stage a fan, a chair and a slide projector. The play of light gave a contrast, a depth to the acting of the actress, as well as the music.
The content of the show was very varied, the actress alone embodied more than 5 characters; those who came up most often: the mother, the father and the psychoanalyst. So sometimes she could tell and act: there was mimodrama, playback etc.
It was basically comedic, you could identify it by the facial expressions, the jokes, the references, the movements or even in the way things were told and especially by the laughter in the room. We really felt in an intimate atmosphere, like a "slides" evening with friends. Many serious subjects were brought up in a humorous or grotesque way, but I was going, on numerous occasions, to shed tears...
The fact that humor is omnipresent is the great strength of this show because most of us like the fact that sensitive subjects, such as rape, are brought up like that. But that can also be a problem because for me, by doing that, we forget the importance, the history, the fight that some have led, especially when at the end of the show, when the actress was saying good things about his mother, in earnest, onlookers laughed as if it were still humorous. Isn't the real question: “can we laugh at everything?”
After this incredible show, we had the chance to speak with actress Frédérique Voruz. A lot of things have come to light. First most of the objects were disposable except the projector; then the fact that she does all the roles since when she wrote this show, she didn't have enough money to support herself and, logically, she couldn't afford actors. One thing stood out to me a lot: the actress spent more than 11 years in therapy, and told us that when you finish this one, you can summarize in one word everything that you have experienced, and she explained that his word for now was "substitution". Can we say it all in one word?
I think that of all the shows I've been able to attend in recent weeks, this is by far my favorite!
L., Louise Michel high school, Bobigny
Friday, October 01, 2021, my class and I went to the Théâtre de la Bastille to see a play called Un sentiment de vie, by Claudine Galea, directed by Jean-Michel Rabeux.
The place was rather classy, distinguished, and I immediately felt very comfortable but honestly not really in my place. Once inside, we waited a lot, a wait that I really disliked but that allowed me to read the room's flyer. Then we were gathered by our teachers Madame Mériaux and Madame Vlavianou and entered the room. The seats were quite comfortable, unlike some shows whose names I won't mention who had the idea of installing us on wooden benches. Anyway, well settled, the play began...
The actress Claude Degliame addresses the public. She plays an author who, years after the death of her father, finally finds the words to tell him the strength of her love. "And, as in so many families, we talk about politics to silence our affection. The father is a soldier from the colonial wars, pied-noir, reactionary, as they say. But this father is gentle and modest, he is terribly lively, funny and joyful. (...) Literature, like music, draws up another heritage, a genealogy where love can finally be expressed. By interweaving these snippets of memories, songs and texts, Claudine Galea also makes one feel the work of writing. The show is the dream of an author in the process of writing. We are invited into the theater of his thoughts..." Jean-Michel Rabeux.
I really liked A feeling of life!
First thanks to the actors Claude Degliame and Nicolas Martel; they were amazing. My teachers had previously told me about the asset of Claude Degliame who has an incredible voice that she can modify at will. I realized the veracity of what my teachers said. And she plays very well on top of that. And Nicolas Martel, what talent! I have the impression that he knows how to do everything: he plays very well, he sings, he plays the guitar... (I must admit that I am a little jealous of him).
Secondly, I liked the decor which was quite simple leaving the story and the message to fill the empty space.
Thirdly for the messages delivered; for me the play had two different but very intrinsically linked themes which are “prejudice” and “difference”.
Prejudices because while his father was a "soldier of the colonial wars, pied-noir, réac", this father was "sweet, funny, joyful..." and apparently the source of inspiration for this work by Claudine Galéa. The message we can draw from this is that we should not rely on the appearance, prejudices or even the difference of a person in relation to oneself to put them in a box.
The difference because she says she wants to put herself in someone else's shoes to be able to understand them. For me it is an important notion of living together; to be able to understand each other, you have to be able to put yourself in the place of the other. And the fact that they are of different sexes is not a negligible detail for me, “a woman can wear a man's jeans”, so we can understand that we are equal. We can therefore draw the message that "anyone can put themselves in the shoes of the other" to be able to better understand it and we are able to do so because we are all equal, regardless of prejudices
After the performance, we had the honor of having a chat with the director of the play, Jean-Michel Rabeux. A very simple, humble and very wise man. He answered all our questions very clearly and without taking us high (I must admit that at that moment I felt a bit like a VIP).
I really have very good memories of this show and I thank my teachers Madame Vlavianou and Madame Mériaux for organizing it for us.
Livan Essoumba, Louise Michel high school, Bobigny
“Dance Delhi, a piece that finds happiness in misfortune”
My comrades in first and final theater specialty and I went to see Danse Delhi at the Gérard Philipe Theater in Saint-Denis on October 22, 2021 at 8 p.m. Danse Delhi is a work "in seven pieces" written by Ivan Viripaev and directed by Gaëlle Hermant.
This play takes place in a small hospital ward reserved for families, where six people meet: a nurse, Andrei, his wife Olga, his lover Catherine, a dancer, his mother, suffering from cancer and a former dancer, and a elderly woman, classical dance critic. The 7 pieces represent different variations of one and the same piece, of one and the same narrative which has as its theme the story of the "Delhi dance".
As said before, I went to see this play with my classmates; we took the tram because the theater is located on a direct line. The theater was familiar to me because I had already gone there with my comrades to see another play. However, the location of the theater still surprises me. Indeed, the theater is located in Seine-Saint-Denis, so I thought I would land in front of a fairly dilapidated theater in poor condition, but no, the theater is very clean and the welcome very warm: it's a bit cliché, but it's the truth ! The people who attended the play were mostly older but I saw a few young people. The setup was frontal and the stage was small and quite odd as the faux plexiglass walls on the stage were simple panes of different colors. In the middle, there was the hospital room, and on the garden side, the room opened onto a corridor from which the nurse entered and left.
When one of the characters, Catherine, traveled to India, she would have seen all the misery in the world in a market. To share the pain of this place, she would have burned herself with a piece of white-hot iron and would then have invented her dance, the Delhi dance. This sentence will also be a common thread in the play and will be repeated in the “7 scenes” of the play. In these different variations, we learn of the death of one of the six characters, the deceased character varying according to the situation. These variations allow us, as they unfold, to better understand the characters and their stories. Personally, I find that these 7 variations are necessary because the story itself is a bit complex because it is replayed constantly.
The transitions between the different pieces impressed me. Indeed, the actors stop short and all look in the same direction, without any expression on their face; it could have made me uncomfortable because the moments of silence always create a rather embarrassing atmosphere but strangely, I think that this cut fits well into the rather "weird" and unique theme of the piece: the same piece replayed several times, with unparalleled transitions that make the piece stand out and invite the viewer to truly engage with the piece. The glazed walls, which at first I thought were useless, were used for the transitions between the scenes: they shone to the rhythm of the musician, Viviane Hélary, who was playing different instruments and who was installed high up on the garden side. The music also reinforced this bizarre but pleasant atmosphere. It was very beautiful to see and I was very surprised by these plays of lights and colors which, I find, made the simple hospital room even more alive.
My favorite character is without hesitation the mother: I really liked her outspokenness, sometimes vulgar, and the story of her character who, despite her cancer, managed to make us laugh! However, I fell a little sleepy at the end and found the last variation uninteresting. Indeed, I would have deleted the nurse's tirade where she describes the Delhi dance: it is a somewhat long and redundant surplus which is not necessary for understanding the story and which only gives the impression of a transition towards the end of the piece. But despite this end, this play, by its history, its complexity but also by its scenography, remains the one I have enjoyed the most of all the plays I have seen so far.
Mânel El Akramine, First General
On October 2, 2021 at 5 p.m., the final year and first theater specialty classes left to watch Eight hours do not make a day.
Eight hours do not make a day is a TV series on the daily life of a working-class family directed by Fassbinder, an avant-garde German filmmaker from the 1970s and 1980s, taken over and directed by Julie Deliquet, director of the TGP in Saint -Denis. The work, utopian and realistic, shows the daily life of a working-class family where the characters, the Krügger-Epp family and the factory workers, fight and get involved with happiness and optimism in the great battles of the 70s such as social struggles, women's rights and the child, or even the possibility of housing with dignity when one is retired.
I went to the theater with my first class friends by tram, since we live quite far from the theater and me and my friends did not know the way to get there. Once I arrived I was, to be honest, a little impressed with the size of the theatre. To be honest, I thought that this theatre, being located in Saint-Denis, was going to be small and in poor condition. But not at all ! This shot was completely wrong! From the outside, the theater was very large and quite well cared for. Arrived a little earlier (thank you Gerald and his organization) me and my friends were able to enjoy the children's park located in front of the theater where we were able to take some photos and videos as souvenirs. It was a very nice moment to share with my comrades in the theater specialty. Once the meeting time arrived, we all met inside the theater and again my expectations were completely wrong, the staff was very serious and kind and the interior of the TGP was spacious and bright. Once the seats were distributed and the room programs given, we were able to enter the room where we stayed for more than 3 hours with an intermission after about an hour and a half.
The room was rather old but still very beautiful and above all very large! We were installed in front of the stage with a ditch/space separating us from the actors. What I immediately noticed was the more or less strange scenography. Indeed, the same space represented both the factory and the family home, as can be seen in the diagram of the scenography below. The costumes were more or less simple and I think that was the desired effect: the show is not interested in the aesthetic aspect but in the subjects addressed. There were variations of light to announce the passing days. The light also helped me a lot in understanding the timeline of the script which I felt was very difficult to follow. Indeed, on stage there were lighting effects and a cinematic fade-in; that of the wedding at the factory was the most visible but, as it was the first time in my life that I had seen one, it took me some time to adapt! Changes of location were most often marked by a change of costume or the arrival of actors. The intermission announcement was also well done and I don't think anyone saw it coming. However, the end displeased me because it is in my opinion sloppy: we do not know if Monika managed to divorce her violent husband and to have custody of her daughter, if the factory project succeeded, or even if Manfred succeeded in confessing his love to Monika... I am well aware that this must be the effect sought by the director, but I like clear stories!
Ultimately, and disregarding this end that I think is not finished, this show is by far my favorite among all the shows I have attended so far. I got very attached to the characters, especially Irmgard and Giuseppe who are very funny, have totally different characters and yet a similar game, rather expressive, slightly overplayed while remaining believable and natural. I really liked the energy of the actors who show their optimism in the face of the difficulties encountered.
Célia El Akramine, First General
