Animal Architecte

Les Forces vives

Theatre
Odéon-Théâtre de l’Europe – Ateliers Berthier
novembernov 29 - december – dec 29
1/3

Creation 2024

3h30 with intermission

Prices € 15 to € 38
Subscribers € 13 to € 32

Odéon-Théâtre de l’Europe – Ateliers Berthier

Friday november 29

20h00

Saturday november 30

20h00

Sunday december 1

15h00

Tuesday december 3

20h00

Wednesday december 4

20h00

Thursday december 5

20h00

Friday december 6

20h00

Saturday december 7

20h00

Sunday december 8

15h00

Tuesday december 10

20h00

Wednesday december 11

20h00

Thursday december 12

20h00

Friday december 13

20h00

Saturday december 14

20h00

Sunday december 15

15h00

Tuesday december 17

20h00

Wednesday december 18

20h00

Thursday december 19

20h00

Friday december 20

20h00

Based on Le deuxième sexe, Cahiers de jeunesse, Mémoires d’une jeune Fille rangée, La Force de l’âge et La Force des choses (tome 1 et 2) de Simone de Beauvoir © Editions Gallimard. Conceived, written and directed by Camille Dagen. Scenography and artistic collaboration Emma Depoid. Animal Architecte is run jointly by Camille Dagen and Emma Depoid. With Marie Depoorter, Camille Dagen, Romain Gy, Hélène Morelli, Achille Reggiani, Nina Villanova, Sarah Chaumette. Dramaturgy Rachel de Dardel. Assistant director and artistic collaboration in play Lucile Delzenne. Stage manager Édith Biscaro, alternating with Typhaine Steiner. Lighting design Sébastien Lemarchand. Composition Kaspar Tainturier-Fink. Video and frame design Typhaine Steiner. Costume design Emma Depoid. Wig design Kuno Schlegelmilch. Flight design Marc Bizet. Assistant scenographer and costume designer Clara Hubert. Flight and stage manager Marinette Jullien. Sound manager Félix Mirabel.  Lighting manager Edith Biscaro. Video manager Emma Depoid. Interns Eve Grosset Bourbange, Noa Gimenez. Set construction Atelier Artom and the workshops of the CDN de Besançon. Advice and technical support Nicolas Ahssaine. Stock costumes of the TNS with the support of Pauline Zurini. Production, development Cécile Jeanson. Administrative management Didier Abasq (Adlib). Logistics manager Lucie Bonnemort. 

Production Animal Architecte and the Comédie, CDN de Reims
In coproduction with Odéon – théâtre de l’Europe ; Maillon, Théâtre de Strasbourg – Scène européenne ; Le Phénix – pôle européen de création à Valenciennes, CDN de Tours – Théâtre Olympia ; CDN de Besançon Franche-Comté ; La Comédie - CDN de Reims ; La Comédie de Colmar – CDN Grand Est Alsace ; Festival d’Automne à Paris
With the support of the Fonds de production de la DGCA, of the Grand-Est region and the Ville de Strasbourg
With the artistic participation of Jeune Théâtre National, participation of the Jeune Théâtre in Centre – Val de Loire region and of the integration fund of the École du TNB (Production in progress)
Residency at Théâtre 13
Animal Architecte is supported and accompanied by the Drac Grand Est - Ministère de la Culture, as part of the assistance for contracting.
This production benefited from the donation of a set design element from the show Un amour impossible, directed by Célie Pauthe, set design by Guillaume Delaveau.
Acknowledgements Sylvie Le Bon de Beauvoir, Célie Pauthe, Guillaume Delaveau, Anne-Françoise Benhamou, Noémie Ksicova, Arto Charpentier and Hannah Briend, Hortense Archambault and the MC93 - Maison de la culture de Seine-Saint-Denis, Une Bonne Masse Solaire, the teams at the Centre dramatique national Besançon Franche-Comté ; Théâtre Olympia - Centre dramatique national de Tours ; Maillon Théâtre de Strasbourg - Scène européenne ; Le Phénix scène nationale Valenciennes ; Valentin Kottelat ; Germain Fourvel ; Joannès Roth

The Odéon-Théâtre de l'Europe and the Festival d'Automne à Paris are co-producers of this show and present it as a co-realisation.

This show is about how a life can be invented, understood and told at the same time. And about how Simone de Beauvoir, born in 1908, was both author and chronicler of her existence. What kind of energy, what type of combativity does freedom imply? In Les Forces vives, Animal Architecte brings us a fascinating and astonishing fresco of the writer's journey.

Drawing upon Mémoires d’une jeune fille rangée (1958)(Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter), La Force de l'âge (1960)(The Force of Age) and La Force des choses (1963)(The Force of Things), Camille Dagen and Emma Depoid not only retrace the journey of a figure from the history of feminism, they also invite us to question our own position in relation to the experience of a woman living in the 20th century, from childhood to old age, and from the First World War to the Algerian War. The piece also prompts us to investigate, via the weapons of the theatre, the combats and intimate, intellectual and political choices of the authoress. In a playful movement carried along by seven constantly metamorphosing actresses and actors, the show combines different levels, ranging from emotive, personal memories and historical archives, poetic meditation and articles about politics, to real-life experiences and acts of a literary kind, all of which are firmly anchored in the onstage action. By probing into Simone de Beauvoir's life history as much as into her work, what ultimately emerges from this ambitious, vibrant show is the question of everything that a life can be. The pieces hinges upon those elements of life experience that are most common to us all, namely those of growing up, growing old, and becoming who we are.