L’après-midi d’un foehn – version 1 Look and see
An NAC French Theatre presentation
Recommended for ages 5 to 99!
No spoken words in the performance
Surrounding the ring, an array of inward-facing fans. In the middle, a rather odd-looking puppeteer who is using the breeze from the fans to breathe life into some unconventional characters: dozens of multicoloured plastic bags. Caught on the rising drafts, the little bags perform an astonishing airborne dance, and our imagination soars right along with them! A delicate and poetic juggling act that explores the magic in everyday things.
L’après-midi d’un foehn – version 1 has stayed with me, an indelible memory that has remained intensely vivid over time. We never know what surprises await as we sit in a darkened theatre, waiting for the show to begin. A few minutes later, out we come with a sparkling treasure lodged in our imagination! These precious moments orchestrated by Phia Ménard are mesmerizing and sublime.
Mélanie Dumont, Associate Artistic Director, Youth Programming
What if we humans, firmly anchored to the earth, could also escape gravity, free at last to flirt with the wandering breezes, to be transported aloft in an aerial waltz? And what if, with reckless abandon, we gave in to the urge to explore uncharted territory, to venture into the unknown and make each of our limbs an independent, uncontrolled part of ourselves?
Phia Ménard, writer and director
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Pre-Show Activities: A reading corner, craft-making with recycled plastic bags … Children and their parents are invited to arrive 45 minutes before the show for free activities that will give them a taste of the creative spirit and setting of the play.
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A French mime artist uses plastic bags to create a show that is unique and utterly captivating…. Plastic bags become flying superheroes, floating ghosts, feisty little creatures who dance and fight…. It is the best use of the derided plastic bag I have ever seen.
—Neil Norman, Daily Express (London, UK)
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Phia Ménard juggler of forms
Phia Ménard fell in love with the arts, and with juggling in particular, after seeing the show Extraballe by master juggler Jérôme Thomas. She subsequently studied juggling techniques and theatrical composition under him, and joined his company as a writer and performer, touring to the four corners of the globe. In 1998 she founded her own company, Compagnie Non Nova. A strikingly original artist, Phia Ménard juggles genres and intermingles disciplines to create unique performance events. Actively engaged in the artistic community, she frequently participates in conferences on issues of art and gender. In January 2014 she was appointed a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres de la France.
Jean-Louis Ouvrard actor and tightrope walker
Jean-Louis Ouvrard launched his acting career in 1983 after training in contemporary dance, voice, clowning, mask, mime, theatre of movement and gesture, and theatre of objects. He is the cofounder (1991) of Théâtre ZOsU. A multitalented creator, he has been simultaneously performer, director, puppeteer, choreographer and costume designer on several shows. He joined Compagnie Non Nova in 2011 for the remount of L’après‐midi d’un foehn – version 1.
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Written and directed by Phia Ménard // Assistant director: Jean-Luc Beaujault // Performed by Jean-Louis Ouvrard // Sound: Ivan Roussel, based on Claude Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun // Puppets: Phia Ménard and Claire Rigaud // Stage manager: Olivier Gicquiaud
Produced by Compagnie Non Nova
Saturday, December 19 at 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
and Sunday, December 20 at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m in the NAC Studio
Running time: 25 minutes
Tickets: $15 for adults and children
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