Moving the Lines

A dot inside a circle. You are here. Or maybe there. It all depends on where we are. A line on the floor delineates spaces with unstable borders and visible edges, trajectories to invent and territories to roam and conquer. An object of power and control as well as the representation of a reality or the reflection of an imagined notion, the map is always changing, and is used to orient oneself, navigate, commerce, wage war, or even escape and dream. Moving the Lines leads four guides, themselves leading adults and children alike, into the exploration of those geostrategic or poetic itineraries. From Sumerian tablets to interactive maps, from the map of Cassini to wind maps, they decipher captions, change scales, and multiply perspectives. For the wish of director Bérangère Vantusso is to lead us into moving zones, both physically and emotionally, with images by artists Paul Cox and words by writer Nicolas Doutey. Together, and with the Compagnie de l’Oiseau-Mouche, a troupe of mentally-handicapped professional actors, the idea is to reshuffle the cards to rethink the world.

“You can draw a map on a wall, think of it as an artwork, build it like a political act or like a mediation.” – Gilles Deleuze, Félix Gattari, “Rhizome”, A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia.

Born in 1959, Paul Cox is a painter, graphic artist, illustrator, and author of children’s books. An atypical artist and a major creator, he has produced, among other items, posters for the theatre and opera, worked as a scenographer with choreographer Benjamin Millepied, and exhibited his installations at the Centre Pompidou.

Born in 1982, Nicolas Doutey is a writer for the theatre. His plays have been directed by Alain Françon and Marc Lainé, among others. He also conducts theoretical research about theatre, writing, and philosophy, and hosts creative writing and dramaturgy workshops in drama schools.

Since 1978, La Compagnie de l’Oiseau-Mouche, an atypical project, has employed twenty mentally-handicapped professional actors. Reinventing itself with each new project, the company has worked with many different artists, directors, and choreographers. L’Oiseau-Mouche has thus built a rich and diverse repertoire of contemporary works. They have performed over fifty shows.

With 4 performers from l'Oiseau-Mouche Mathieu Breuvart, Caroline Leman, Florian Spiry, Nicolas Van Brabandt

Direction Bérangère Vantusso
Paintwork Paul Cox
Text and dramaturgy Nicolas Doutey
Artistic collaboration Philippe Rodriguez-Jorda
Stage design Cerise Guyon
Lights Anne Vaglio
Sound Géraldine Foucault
Costumes Sara Bartesaghi Gallo
Costumes assistant Simona Grassano
Technical direction Greg Leteneur

Production Compagnie de l’Oiseau-Mouche, Compagnie trois-6ix-trente
Co-production Festival d'Avignon, Le Studio-Théâtre de Vitry, Le Bateau Feu Scène nationale Dunkerque, Le CCAM Scène nationale Vandoeuvre-Lès -Nancy, La Maison de la Culture d’Amiens Pôle européen de création et de production, Le Sablier Centre national de la marionnette en préparation (Ifs et Dives-sur-Mer), Le Vivat (Armentières), Le Festival Mondial des Théâtres de Marionnettes (Charleville-Mézières), La Manufacture Centre dramatique national de Nancy, Théâtre Le Passage (Fécamp), Le Grand Bleu (Lille), Le Théâtre Jean-Vilar de Vitry, Théâtre 71 Scène nationale de Malakoff
With the support of the Région Hauts-de-France for the creation in Avignon, Région Grand Est for the support to creation projects, Quint'est réseau spectacle vivant Grand Est Bourgogne-Franche-Comté