The more the media proclaim that art is strictly for the elite
The more we are told that such and such a work is “not for everyone”
Which suggests that we don’t have the intelligence or the culture to appreciate it
The more we hear that art is reserved for intellectuals
The more we end up believing it
I’m not saying art can compete with mass entertainment
Nor that it can build an equally seamless and impenetrable social consensus
But I do believe we can approach theatre through our feelings, sensations and emotions
Just as well as through our thoughts and minds
Taking in a play with our heart, really feeling it
Is also a way of entering a universe, of experiencing our connection to the world and art
That transcends the brutality of the immediate moment
Approaching a work at a feeling level can be infinitely complex, rich, and abundantly sensual
It allows us to probe our innermost, most intimate selves, and to forge a deep and meaningful bond with art and all its mysteries
BRIGITTE HAENTJENS / ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Let me tell you a story
Stories are everywhere these days: more or less the same ones, all the time. It’s gotten to the point where all ideas seem codified, all representations of the world simplified, all canvases tightly framed. The time may have come to reconnect with the essence of telling, namely, the artist’s vision: intimate and unique. Shaped partly by the artist’s perception of the world, partly by imagination, it gives this ancient art its enduring power and vitality, and its boundless capacity for renewal.
Telling, yes, but with a twist: that’s the common intent of the team of creators gathered here. Driven by desire and necessity, they weave their stories, sketch out their ideas, revisit childhood tales, juggle words and pictures, sounds and objects, performance and poetry to construct their elegant narratives and ironic commentaries… And we are irresistibly drawn to the dream-like landscapes opened to us by art, by poetry, by fiction. A suddenly endless horizon; infinite possibilities: the journey begins. And in exploring these characters, these stories, these stages, we build a connection to the world, to others and to ourselves.
We all love stories, no matter how old we are. And what’s more, we all need them—no one more than I.
MÉLANIE DUMONT
