LACRIMA seems to be less of a melodrama, and more an exploration of tragedy. Is that an intentional shift on your part?
Some have indeed described my previous shows as belonging to the melodrama genre, but I have never used that word myself. Tragedy is a major source of inspiration for me. Writing often means confronting tragic situations. For instance, SAÏGON involves heartbreaking destinies, people who leave their countries and might never see each other again. The word “melodrama” seems to me to downplay the violence and minimise the importance of those disrupted lives. For me, all of it is tragedy.
Why the title LACRIMA?
It is a motif that deeply interests me and which often guides my writing. The title stems from that constant concern. Choosing a title two years in advance requires a certain confidence in the direction we will follow. LACRIMA perfectly embodies this orientation. Tears and emotion are deliberately fundamental elements in my work. I think it’s important to remind ourselves that the driving force behind many stories is tragedy. Through a contemporary story of tears, we are conducting a reflection about human emotions and their expressions in our time.
What prompted you to choose the theme of sewing?
We chose sewing as a backdrop for its choral dimension and its ability to bring together a large audience. For me, sewing and lace are linked to secrecy, they evoke a form of protection against the violence of the world. We had the opportunity to exchange with Japanese artist Rieko Koga, who hand-sewed these phrases on linen: “According to an old Japanese belief that I still hold, stitching has magical power. The clothes my mother made for me as a girl always enveloped me in her great love. And their stitches on my back protected me from anxiety and fear.” Those words were a great inspiration. The show follows the story of the creation of a wedding dress, but also the journeys of three main characters: Marion in Paris, Thérèse in Alençon, and Abdul in Mumbai. Each of them must face the violence associated with their work and the events that change their lives.
Did you do any research on the subject?
In addition to the time I spent in the costume workshop of the TNS, I met many artisans—pattern makers, modelists… The idea of having a veil led me to Alençon lace. So I went there to meet lace makers, holders of a very powerful savoir-faire. I visited workshops in Mumbai, and there came the twist: up until then, I wanted to focus exclusively on women’s journeys. But in Mumbai, embroidery is traditionally done by Muslim men: it’s a craft passed down from father to son, and Indian embroiderers are known as the best in the world. Their expertise is unmatched, and it is their work we see showcased in the most beautiful creations of haute couture fashion shows. I couldn’t turn my back on this subject. That’s how my writing was born: by meeting those men and women with golden hands.
What has changed about your creative process?
In LACRIMA, the actresses and actors play several roles. I’d never done that before. I am so obsessed with plausibility and credibility that the idea of an actor playing two characters had always seemed impossible to me. I decided to do it for the first time in LACRIMA: I wanted to challenge that aspect of my work, because I needed that freedom in writing. Moreover, even if interacting with the actors and the stage remains essential in my creative process, I am solely credited with the text for the first time—on all my previous projects, the text was credited to “Caroline Guiela Nguyen with the entire artistic team of the creation”—because it reflects reality. It is very important to me that my work be able to reach a large audience. Our approach is very narrative-oriented, like a series, with each detail being important to build suspense and engage the audience.
How do you make those three locations coexist on a single stage?
We are in a manufacturing workshop, where we can move from one location to another. The set doesn’t change, our approach is less realistic. There are several locations in one, and the backstage area is partly visible. There is an acknowledged theatrical aspect to the space.
Interview conducted in February 2024 and translated to English by Gaël Schmidt-Cléach