In 1851 Herman Melville published Moby Dick, the story of a senseless hunt for a white whale by one man, Captain Ahab, of a frenzied and obsessive quest which eventually spells doom for the crew of the Pequod. If successive generations of readers thirsting for adventure have all been captivated by this masterpiece, it is because its story of initiation is suffused with a mysticism nature and the seas always call to mind. Faced with this mythological space which unites man to beast, beast to nature, and man to the unfathomable, director and plastic artist Yngvild Aspeli decided to play with scale and to use myriads of puppets to echo the power of the oceans. Elusive white whale, larger-than-life characters, and video to throw us off balance: it's an entire poetic world unfolding right there on the stage. Surrounded by her company Plexus Polaire, which she likes to call her “floating Babel,” Yngvild Aspeli explores the question of destiny and offers a murky and mysterious journey to all human souls.
Distribution
With Alice Chéné, Pierre Devérines, Maja Kunši?, Sarah Lascar, Viktor Lukawski, Andreu Martinez Costa, Aïtor Sanz Juanes
Conception, direction Yngvild Aspeli
Dramaturgy Pauline Thimmonier
Music Guro Skumsnes Moe, Ane Marthe Sorlien Holen
Stage design Elisabeth Holager Lund
Lights Xavier Lescat, Vincent Loubière
Video David Lejard-Ruffet
Puppets Polina Borisova, Yngvild Aspeli
Sound Raphaël Barani
Costumes Benjamin Moreau
Assistant direction Pierre Tual
Outside look Paola Rizza
Production
Production Plexus Polaire
Co-production Nordland Teater (Mo I Rana, Norvège), Figurteatret i Nordland (Stamsun, Norvège), Le Groupe des 20 théâtres (Île-de-France), Puppet Theatre Ljubljana (Slovénie), Puppentheater Halle (Allemagne), La Comédie de Caen Centre dramatique national de Normandie, Bords II scènes (Vitry-le-François), TJP Centre dramatique national Strasbourg- Grand Est, Festival mondial des théâtres de marionnettes de Charleville-Mézières, Le Manège Scène nationale de Reims, Le Théâtre Scène conventionnée d'Auxerre, Le Mouffetard (Paris), Les 2 Scènes Scène nationale de Besançon, MA Scène nationale de Montbéliard, Le Sablier (Ifs), Théâtre Jean Arp (Clamart), La Maison MCNA (Nevers), Théâtre Romain Rolland (Villejuif), Le Bateau Feu Scène nationale Dunkerque
With the support of Théâtre Cinéma de Choisy-le-Roi Scène conventionnée – Panthea, Teater Innlandet (Hamar, Norvège), Kulturrådet / Arts Council Norway, Ministère de la Culture Drac Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Région Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Fond for lyd og bilde (Norvège), Département du Val-de-Marne, Département de l'Yonne
Co-hosted Festival d'Avignon, La Chartreuse-CNES de Villeneuve lez Avignon