Garde-robe

GARDE-ROBE

In co-production with Moulin à Musique and Les Boréades de Montréal (in french only)

Springtime. Pauline hangs her sheet on the clothesline. When the wind sweeps into the sheet, Pauline grabs hold of it and then locks herself away in her closet. The wind plays the flute while Pauline plays the violin. They make music together and reinvent the four seasons, playing games with the clothes and having fun. A gust of wind brings life back to motionless objects, flips the pages of a romance novel and stirs up a storm of coats. As a result, a whole new world, sensual and exhilarating, opens up. In it, words, images and sounds call up in delicate strokes the season of childhood with all its fears and great promises.

STUDY GUIDE

A STUDY GUIDE with musical excerpts on CD is available for teachers interested in preparing children for the performance.

CULTURAL MEDIATION

Upon request, cultural mediation workshops are given in schools in the two weeks preceding a performance. This special contact with the performers and designers helps children improve their appreciation of the production.

CREDITS

• Playwright & Direction: Marie-Hélène da Silva
• Artistic Direction: Joël da Silva
• Music Direction: Francis Colpron
• Set & Costume Design: Patrick Martel
• Lighting Design: Mathieu Ferdais
• Idea Development: Marie-Hélène da Silva, Francis Colpron

PERFORMERS

Francis Colpron as the wind, playing recorders, flute, glass harmonica and percussions
Marie-Hélène da Silva as Pauline and Paulette, playing the violin, voice, ocarina and sound effects

In Pictures :
Photos: Claudine Larocque

Downloads

 Technical rider Presentation

A WORD FROM THE PLAYWRIGHT

This is where clothes are stored, but also objects that are more or less forgotten as well as happy or unwanted memories. This space is filled with signs and bears witness to one’s growth, seasons and passions. Such is the closet.

In our production, the closet becomes a personal forest that symbolizes childhood: a solitary space inhabitated by images, words, sounds, smells, fears and wishes. To tell the tale, a story without a plot or an end was needed, like the four seasons, a story so simple that you would need considerable artfulness and innocence to breathe life into it. What was needed is the generosity and sensitivity of two performers, Francis and Marie-Hélène. Together, we have woven this show by hand, adding in images and sounds that answer each other using the innocence of games.

Joël da Silva