Renaud Herbin & Ljubljana Puppet Theatre (France-Slovenia)

SÃO LUIZ TEATRO MUNICIPAL - Sala Mário Viegas

17 and 18 May at 10pm (Thu, Fri)

^{Portuguese Premiere}

_{TICKETS ONLINE}

_{Technique: String puppets and video Language: Slovenian, with Portuguese subtitles For audiences over: +10 Running time: 55 min.}

Open the Owl is a contemporary look at tradition. In this project, Renaud Herbin reinterprets and updates the traditional Slovenian theatre, using digital tools and video.

To celebrate 70 years of performing together, the Theatre of Ljubljana has asked Renaud Herbin to write the script for a show using historical materials: a rich collection of antique puppets, a 30 x 20cm booth and a traditional tale: Sovj grad (The Owl Castle). The original story has been completed by novelist Célia Houdart in the spirit of a philosophical tale. It is the story of a knight who, under an evil spell, is transformed into an owl. Every time he plucks one of his feathers, he is granted a wish. The hero asks to become a minister of state, takes power and keeps it, until the day when he finds himself featherless. Stolen identity, misuse of power, real vs. fantasy skills: the plot is ideal for a reflection on the creation of illusions. In the spirit of a philosophical tale, novelist Célia Houdart extends Sovji grad at the invitation of Renaud Herbin.

In this performance the viewer finds him- or herself challenged to reconsider his or her attitude towards stage, illusion and reality. His or her gaze shifts from the Klemenčič's miniature stage beyond the decor, where it is not usually allowed. The space opens up, the viewer’s gaze transforms, and perspectives multiply, following the rhythm of movement of cameras and video projections. The viewer’s relation towards the action unfolding in front of him or her is entirely optional, as he or she is forced to choose his or her own viewing angle, which he or she can change during the performance and thus create his or her own stage interpretation of the story. The only thing the viewer has to do is to take a certain position in the space and trust his or her ability to connect with the seen image or movement.

^{"(...) An audacious staging that opens the castelet to reveal the art of the manipulator. Intelligent and inspiring, easily accessible to all audiences.
How to revisit and update a tradition, but with the desire to become contemporary a set of puppets carrying an ancient history? This challenge of mobilizing for the present time puppets and literary materials inherited from the Slovene past to reach a contemporary audience, was launched by the Theatre of Ljubljana to Renaud Herbin, a talented puppeteer and director.
In addition, the use of the video allows, by filmed live, to change the scale and adapt the show to a larger dimension (...) In short, a set of well-connected, modern ideas that knew how to preserve a place for the tradition, in a show that is captivating and with many reading levels."
-Mathieu Dochtermann, Toutelaculture.com *****}
_BIO

Renaud Herbin is the Director of TJP - Centre Dramatique National d' Alsace Strasbourg, since 2012.
He has graduated from the École Supérieure Nationale des Arts de la Marionnette de Charleville-Mézières (ESNAM). Renaud founded with Julika Mayer and Paulo Duarte the company LàOù - marionnette contemporaine.
He directed and performed several visual shows, usually from dramatic or literary works.
Recently he premiered Open the Owl, Wax and La vie des formes was created last summer in Avignon. But also Mileu and Actéon Miniature presented in FIMFA (2017; 2014). Between 2003 and 2008 he developed the projecto Centres Horizons with the filmaker Nicolas Lelièvre: shows and animated movies about urbanism in the cities of Rennes, Buenos Aires, Berlin Villa Médicis Hors-les-murs 2004). Through its own productions and various artistic collaborations (co-directions with Frédéric Fisbach, Robert Cantarella, Julie Bérès, Charlotte Nessi), mixing theatre, opera, contemporary dance and writing, he develops a unique visual language, placing the idea of manipulation at the center, understood as something that connects artistic fields. In this sense, his creations include the presence of puppets, actors, dancers, sound and images in interaction on stage.
Célia Houdart, after ten years dedicated to the staging of experimental theatre, dedicates herself to writing. Author of the text Open the Owl, she published four novels, including Carrare, that received the prize Françoise Sagan. In the summer of 2016, at the invitation of the Festival d'Avignon and SACD, she created with Renaud Herbin, La vie des formes.