PHIA MÉNARD FOCUS
Performances for school
France
Programme organized under the Portugal-France 2022 Season
Phia Ménard / Cie Non Nova
L'après-midi d'un foehn Version 1
February
2022
Wed
23
Sinopse
What is the life expectancy of a plastic bag from crude oil polyethylene to the moment it is thrown away? For how long is it actually in use? Not long at all, compared to the length of time it will then stray across the planet, blown and buffeted by the wind. This is where its real life begins; its autonomous life. Little anonymous plastic bag amongst the world’s countless little plastic bags, on its way to a rot-proof eternity. Let’s hope there’s a strong wind to help it overcome any obstacles, to carry it across oceans and mountains, to encounter new possibilities and to try out different lives. What if we humans, so firmly anchored to the ground, what if we too could escape the pull of gravity and fly with the wind, free at last, carried along by the arbitrary waltz of the air? What if we were unconsciously feeding our thirst for the discovery of unknown territories, for fighting uncertain battles to make each one of our members part of us, autonomous and uncontrollable. Upright or upside down, free up those hands, be the object of all motion and movement. Just a sound and the air’s caress. This performance piece uses a simple turbine in order to create a vortex. The little plastic bag characters evolve in the air space, responding to the movement of the air which is in turn controlled by the protagonist. — Phia Ménard
The company was founded in 1998 by Phia Ménard, with a desire to approach juggling from a different angle, through the scenic and dramaturgical structure of each piece. Non nova, sed nove (Not new things, but in a new way) is the company’s founding precept. The many multidisciplinary projects of the company have brought together artists, technicians, thinkers from various horizons with diverse experiences. It is not a collective but a professional team, with Phia Ménard in charge of the artistic direction. To date, the various projects by Compagnie Non Nova have been performed in Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Brunei, Burkino Faso, Burundi, Canada, Chilli, China, Colombia, CroaTa, Denmark, Equator, The Federation of Russia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Haiti, Hong Kong, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kosovo, Lebanon, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Mexico, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, the Republic of Cape Verde, Senegal, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thai-land, Togo, The United Arab Emirates, The United States, Uruguay, Yemen.
The company was founded in 1998 by Phia Ménard, with a desire to approach juggling from a different angle, through the scenic and dramaturgical structure of each piece. Non nova, sed nove (Not new things, but in a new way) is the company’s founding precept. The many multidisciplinary projects of the company have brought together artists, technicians, thinkers from various horizons with diverse experiences. It is not a collective but a professional team, with Phia Ménard in charge of the artistic direction. To date, the various projects by Compagnie Non Nova have been performed in Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Brunei, Burkino Faso, Burundi, Canada, Chilli, China, Colombia, CroaTa, Denmark, Equator, The Federation of Russia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Haiti, Hong Kong, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kosovo, Lebanon, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Mexico, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, the Republic of Cape Verde, Senegal, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thai-land, Togo, The United Arab Emirates, The United States, Uruguay, Yemen.
Info sobre horário e bilhetes
Wed
23.02
09:45
11:15
14:30
Campo AlegreStage Auditorium
Aditional info
- Price 2.50€ (children and school groups) / 7€ (adults)
Duration 25min
Age recommendation 6+
Programme organized under the Portugal-France 2022 Season
Author's bio text
Ficha Técnica
- Artistic director Phia Ménard
Assisted by Jean-Luc Beaujault
Performed alternately by Jean-Louis Ouvrard, Cecile Briand, Silvano Nogueira
Soundtrack composition Ivan Roussel using Claude Debussy’s Afternoon of a Faun
Stage manager Olivier Gicquiaud
Sound master alternately Olivier Gicquiaud, Ivan Roussel, Mateo Provost, David Leblanc
Puppets design Phia Ménard
Puppets manufacture Claire Rigaud
Co-director, administration and booking Claire Massonnet
Production assistant Constance Winckler
Public Relations Justine Lasserrade
Cie Non Nova is subsidised by the French Ministry of Culture and Communication –DRAC des Pays de la Loire, Nantes City Council, the Conseil Régional des Pays de la Loire, the Conseil Départemental de Loire-Atlantique, the Institut Français (France’s international cultural relations body) and the BNP Paribas Foundation.The company is based in Nantes.