News
Mr Moon
Mr Moon
C Aquila
August 3 -17 (not 9)
by Gareth K Vile
Our story is human, that of a company built on the road, created through encounters, personal tragedies and destinies. Who are we? Musicians? Clown-puppeteers? Madmen or poets? Why does nothing we say seem believable? And above all, why do we continue to play? We have been travelling for two centuries, attached to each other, storytellers from another time. We are those who were found, those who were lost before we were found, and those who stood in the shadows all along. Not really from yesterday, we wander from one scene to another. We are the Lost Children.
What kind of puppets do you use in the show, and how are they incorporated into the action?
We use two puppets on stage which have the particularity of being both puppet and mask. They are made of a flexible material which gives them the quality of being shapeshifters. This is how these puppets come to life, creating moving masks, characters that can breathe and change their expression.
We are lucky enough to work with Nora Tinholt, who created the puppets but who also manipulates them on stage. Her background in fine arts, movement theatre, object theatre and puppetry gives her a unique vision of working with puppets as actors in their own right, as characters with their own personality, their own story on stage and their own needs. We will be happy to show you our puppets during the show!
How do the puppets work alongside the overall intentions of the show, and in relation to the other genres that you use?
The puppet represents the character of the moon, an archetype that cannot be represented in any other way than by this very form that gives shape to the invisible and the mystical. The puppet interacts fully with our other languages, because it becomes the privileged means of expression of a character deprived of speech.
We always try to integrate visual and aesthetic elements in our projects, and they always have a prominent place in our means of narration. We always look for the meeting point between mask, puppetry, poetry, theatre, dance and music.
One thing that fascinates me about the Moon Cabaret is what kind of event it will be! Does it fit in any particular genre or tradition?
We are creating a show that is out of the ordinary and in constant motion. The audience comes out of it amazed and confused, as if after a journey that has blurred the boundaries between the different art forms. We use the term cabaret because it refers to this deep connection between the arts, where each discipline has its place and comes to the audience where it least expects it.
Moreover, traditional cabaret is also a subversive genre, both in its form and its content. It is a form of total theatre that needs no introduction, a constant movement from one character to another, from one aesthetic to another. We are as much from the past as from the future with this evolving and surrealist form.
How did this particular event develop - was it from a cabaret show, an expression of the company, or a more scripted genesis?
This show came out of a larger immersive project, as we are working on characters as alter egos, which could navigate from one project to another. Inspired by this universe we are also presenting a theatre festival about the least represented and most unforgettable art forms. We are also working on a feature film with characters very similar to those in Mr Moon, and the theme will also be the moon, but in its most anguished and darkest form...
There seems to be a metalevel to the production: is this a play about plays, or does it have a more political or social intention?
This show is about a company that meets on the road and decides to travel together because they don't fit anywhere. This theme, the forgotten, the different, is an essential theme for us, and extremely important nowadays. In a complex society, where social differences are constantly widening, how do we find our place? What difference is still allowed, and what difference is immediately perceived as madness, discomfort, or embarrassment? Where the show has a special place for us is that we live what we tell, we ourselves are a company we met on the road, we are the different ourselves, always on a journey, coming from radically different worlds, backgrounds, paths.
How do different audiences respond to the show and the company?
Often, it must be admitted that the audience is a bit taken aback. They are not used to this kind of form, but they get caught up in the game and very easily accept to come and travel with us. We have had nothing but good experiences with the public in the two years we have been touring this show. Moreover, we always perform in the language of the country, or at least a large part of the texts, we do this work on language, sharing and communication which in reality always touches the audience and brings them together.
