BARON SAMEDI ( NEW WORK 2012)
World premiere, in April 24th, 25th 2012 - Théâtre de Nîmes (F)
Choreography, direction Alain Buffard
Assistant Fanny de Chaillé
Interpretation Nadia Beugre, Dorothée Munyaneza, Hlengiwe Lushaba, Olivier Normand, Will Rawls, David Thomson
Musicians Seb Martel et Sarah Murcia
Musical adaptation Sarah Murcia
Lighting Yves Godin
Sound in the making
Scenography and costumes Nadia Lauro
Technical direction Christophe Poux
Sound Félix Perdreau
Lighting Thalie Lurault
Production : PI:ES
Alain Buffard is an associated artist with the Théâtre de Nîmes for both 2010/2011 and 2011/2012 seasons.
With the support of Fondation d'entreprise Hermès in th eframe of the program New Settings
Executive producer : Latitudes prod (Lille)
Co-production : Théâtre de Nîmes, Latitudes Contemporaines, Opéra de Lille, Ménagerie de Verre, CNDC Angers - Centre National de Danse Contemporaine, La Bâtie, festival de Genève, Pôle Sud, scène conventionnée pour la musique et la danse - Strasbourg, Le phénix, scène nationale Valenciennes.
Coproduction and residence in Centre National de danse contemporaine ANGERS
With the support of FUSED (French US Exchange in Dance), la Condition Publique (Roubaix), Texen.
Pi :es receives the support of the DRAC Ile-de-France, Ministère de la Culture, le Conseil Général du Gard, the city of Nîmes and is supported by Institut Français for its overseas tours.
With the support of Préfecture de région du Languedoc-Roussillon – Direction Régionale des affaires culturelles.
I have always wanted to create a musical comedy, and so I created (Not) a Love Song; but there is something else there, a constant, that of Kurt Weill[1], one of my personal heroes, someone who has strongly influenced me creatively. I began sketching in a relationship to his music in (Not) a Love Song and in Tout va bien, but the issue is now how to go further in working with such an iconic figure. Weill’s music is a curious mix of corny popular tunes and clever, sophisticated sounds which defy categorisation. Needing to avoid the Euro-centred context of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, my idea was to transpose their poisoned universe, with its contingent of bad boys and certain kinds of women – to an imaginary location, working with black dancers from Africa, the Caribbean, the United States and France[2].
1 - I will be using songs from Weill’s German period (Threepenny Opera, Mahagonny, Happy End), his French period (Marie Galante and a couple of other songs) ; I am also not averse to including music by other composers, among them Hanns Eisler, as necessary.
2 - Except for Olivier Normand who absolutely shone during Tout va bien