Just like Caravaggio would place anonymous figures in his biblical scenes, The response of Men, freely inspired by the works of mercy, features ordinary characters whose duties and actions are anything but. A young army recruit, a mother who doesn't want her child... Madame Serra, Laurent, or Catherine are our contemporaries, and each of their stories asks two questions: what does it mean to do good? What does it mean to act justly? In a venue marked by the passage of time, the play unfolds through multiple fragments and explores the many folds of human moral. Much as the works of mercy give us directions to follow, Tiphaine Raffier invites us to think about who the poor are and whom we decide to help—and how. Whether the works are corporal or spiritual, whether they appear linked together in a direct cause-and-effect relationship as in the Gospel According to Matthew (“For I was an hungred and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me”), the point is never to forget that man isn't always consistent, but rather often filled with doubt and indetermination.
Distribution
With Sharif Andoura, Éric Challier, Teddy Chawa, Pep Garrigues, François Godart, Camille Lucas, Édith Mérieau, Judith Morisseau, Catherine Morlot, Adrien Rouyard
And Ensemble Miroirs étendus : Guy-Loup Boisneau, Émile Carlioz, Clotilde Lacroix, Romain Louveau
Text, direction Tiphaine Raffier
Dramaturgy Lucas Samain
Music Othman Louati
Sound Frédéric Peugeot
Stage design Hélène Jourdan
Lights Kelig Lebars
Video Pierre Martin
Costumes Caroline Tavernier
Choreography Pep Garrigues
Production
Production La femme coupée en deux, La Criée - Théâtre national de Marseille
Musical production Miroirs étendus
Co-production ExtraPôle Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Festival d'Avignon, Châteauvallon Scène nationale, Odéon-Théâtre de l'Europe, Théâtre de Lorient, Théâtre du Nord CDN Lille Tourcoing Hauts-de-France, Théâtre national populaire (Villeurbanne), Théâtre Olympia CDN de Tours, La rose des vents Scène nationale Lille Métropole Villeneuve-d'Ascq, Théâtre Gérard Philipe CDN de Saint-Denis, Le Quartz Scène nationale de Brest, Scène nationale 61 (Alençon, Flers, Mortagne), Le Phénix Scène nationale de Valenciennes Pôle européen de création
With the support of Drac Hauts-de-France, Région Hauts-de-France, Ville de Lille, École du Nord within the framework of the integration measures financed by Région Hauts-de-France and Drac Hauts-de-France
With the artistic contribution of Jeune Théâtre national
ExtraPôle : production platform supported by Région Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur that gathers Festival d'Avignon, le Festival de Marseille, le Théâtre national de Nice, le Théâtre national de la Criée, Les Théâtres, Anthéa, la scène nationale Liberté-Châteauvallon and la Friche la Belle de Mai.
La femme coupée en deux is associated with La Criée, Théâtre du Nord, TNP, Théâtre de Lorient, la Rose des vents, la Scène nationale d'Alençon and Préau.
La compagnie La femme coupée en deux benefit of support from ministère de la Culture / Direction régionale des affaires culturelles Hauts-de-France (help to the subsidized companies)
