Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
2016 / 2017 SEASON TOUR CRITICS AWARD for best foreign production 2012 Antigone Sophocles - Adel Hakim directed by Adel Hakim set and and lighting design Yves Collet music Trio Joubran text in Arabic Abdel Rahman Badawi text in French Adel Hakim costumes Shaden Salim set construction Abd El Salam Abdo in collaboration with ateliers Jipanco video Matthieu Mullot et Pietro Belloni with the actors of the Palestinian National Theatre Hussam Abu Eisheh - Alaa Abu Garbieh - Kamel Al Basha Mahmoud Awad - Shaden Salim - Daoud Toutah Performance in Arabic with subtitles BOOKINGS Estelle Delorme 00 33 (0)1 43 90 49 39 - 00 33 (0)6 77 13 30 88 [email protected] 01 43 90 11 11 www.theatre-quartiers-ivry.com ANTIGONE What is this so terrible crime I have committed? I simply wanted to give my brother a proper burial? Which, or so I believe, is all to my credit. And all those who hear me would like to applaud if only their terror did not force them into silence. This is none other than the sign of tyranny: one that says and does as it pleases. © Nabil Boutros The spiral of Hades Space is nothing but the scent of it. If I remember a land, I breathe in the blood of this scent And I miss my displaced soul. Mahmoud Darwich State of Siege Land and the Wall Why a Palestinian Antigone? Because the piece speaks of the relationship between human beings and the land, of the love that each individual has for his native land, of the bond with the land. Because Creon, blinded by his fears and his obstinate ways, forbids the burying of a dead person in the very ground which gave witness to his birth. And because he condemns Antigone to be entombed alive. And because, following the prophecies of Teiresias and the death of his own son, Creon realizes the error of his ways and vows to make up for the injustice that has been committed. In the piece by Sophocles, we find the putting in place of a process, which is inexorable, constituent in its simplicity, of the very principle of tragedy. Racine once said that it was only with Bérénice, queen of Palestine, that he was able to attain this level of certitude that makes up the great works of art of Greek Tragedy. At the heart of the piece is the love that Haemon, son of Creon, has for Antigone. Haemon loves Antigone, but Antigone loves Polynices. Now Polynices is dead. From that moment on, the warmachine swings into action, and conflict is declared between the dead and the living. Polynice’s unburied corpse, given over to the dogs and birds of prey, in turn becomes anthropophagous. Beneath the rational appearances, the political and religious dispute between Antigone and Creon inexorably opens the way to the gates of Hell, which will swallow up the living. And the nightmare begins. Hades becomes the main, yet invisible character with, at his sides, the ghost of Œdipus and the entire genealogy of the Labdacids. Creon summons up Hades by pronouncing this sentence: “The bravest attempt to take flight when they see Hades before them”. For this is what it is all about: a face-off to be feared - for Ismene - or to be desired - for Antigone. In the midst of a sea of infinite sorrow - that of oblivion, the limitless sky or the underground world, each measures the immensity of his or her solitude in the face of the Inevitable, and the intensity of his or her love of life and the living. Despite the crazed flight of souls towards madness and oblivion, the piece by Sophocles is an ode to love and hope, a symphony of feelings, and a delicate, dazzling meteor set against the dark sky. By stirring up our thirst for struggle and life, it might just force the shadow of death into retreat. Synopsis Œdipus was the former ruler of Thebes. At his death, his sons, Eteocles and Polynices, decide to share power between them: each will rule for one year. Eteocles becomes king, but after a year, he refuses to give up his place to Polynices. So Polynices gathers an army with the help of the Argossians and attacks Thebes. The two brothers end up by killing each other. After this fratricidal war, Creon, their uncle, becomes king. He decides to give full burial rights to Eteocles and to throw Polynices’ corpse to the dogs. Antigone is opposed to this decision. She wants to bury her brother Polynices, in contravention to the law laid down by Creon. So Creon condemns Antigone to death. Haemon, son of Creon and fiancé to Antigone, then tries to save the young woman he loves. The tragedy builds, and war is declared between the dead and the living. Of course, nothing in the world can save him any longer and so his conduct can make one think of the corpse of a drowned man which, borne to the surface by some current, bumps against a tired swimmer, lays its hands upon him and would like to hold on. The corpse does not come alive, indeed is not even saved, but it can pull the man down. Franz Kafka - Diary Journey in Palestine An intimate understanding of the tragedy What struck me, right from the first rehearsals, was the intimate, in depth, understanding that the Palestinian artistic team primarily the actors - had of the spirit of Sophocles and Greek Tragedy. Hussam Abu Eisheh, who plays the role of Creon, said one day with a great deal of humour : “We understand Sophocles because the Palestinian tragedy is a much more ancient one than Greek tragedy”. What makes Antigone a Palestinian figure is the challenge she lays down to the authority of repression, linked to her decision to die in the name of her convictions. She is representative of the youth that you come across daily on the streets of Jerusalem, Nablus, Ramallah and so on... In the show, the voice of Mahmoud Darwich can be heard, a voice which has been associated with, for the last years of his life, the music of Trio Joubran. Their music, the voice of the poet, and the Palestinian artists who have created the show, all this has been in the service of the piece by Sophocles. With 2500 years of existence behind it, this figure seems so far away and yet so close because of its human truth. Mahmoud Darwich Like Sophocles, the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwich, who died in 2008, had the ability to celebrate the struggle of human beings for their survival and dignity in a world driven mad. He always acknowledged how close he was to the stories of Greek Tragedy: “I chose to be a Trojan poet. I am definitely on the losing side. The losers who have been deprived of the right to leave even the slightest trace of their defeat, and of their right to proclaim it. I am inclined to say this defeat; but there is no question of surrender.” Adel Hakim “ Sadness is a wall which has been put up between two gardens” Joubran Khalil Joubran Jean-Pierre Han May 2011 on the occasion of the play’s opening night in Jerusalem © Nabil Boutros ANTIGONE I am made for loving, not for hating The “Welcome to Palestine!” that one of the representatives of the Palestinian National Theatre who has come to meet us at Jerusalem airport aims in our direction instantly brushes off the sad impression of our arrival amongst deserted buildings, and shut-down shops, with all the lights turned off; it is a Friday, the day of the Sabbath. It was also in marked contrast to the tiresome departure control at Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle by an Israeli member of staff, his poor command of French making matters all the more delicate. This time it was theatre that took matters into its hands; we found ourselves on familiar ground once again. At the end of our journey there will definitely be this being our aim - Antigone by Sophocles at the Palestinian National Theatre, the PNT, not to be confused with our own national TNP (Théâtre National Populaire)! This Antigone will be directed by Adel Hakim; the show is to be performed entirely in Arabic by Palestinian actors. This flying visit will immerse us, without a transition of any kind, into a universe with an atmosphere all of its own; within this small group come over from Paris, made up of theatre practitioners, directors, programmers, and journalists, I suppose that we all have an image of the city and what goes on there, imprinted in the corners of our minds by the echoes of the events which reach us, regardless of whether we want them to, day after day. But the theatre, and Antigone, are very much in existence here too. During a guided visit of the city, the young lady from the Centre for Jerusalem Studies who acts as our guide points out a cemetery to us, the same one where Yasser Arafat asked to be buried. Faced with the Israeli government’s refusal, he was to be buried in Ramallah... Just like the great poet, Mahmoud Darwich, a few years later... With the graves, native lands, and Mahmoud Darwich, we are, without a shadow of a doubt, still and will always be, in Antigone as Sophocles would have imagined it, a few centuries previously. The show, directed by Adel Hakim would also pay homage and justice to it, but it somehow seemed so natural that nothing seemed out of place. Indeed in terms of the directing, there was no need to force the issue; it would simply be a matter - though finding this sort of humbleness and certitude undoubtedly being the hardest thing in the world - of allowing things, and the words of the poet, to follow their course. And the words took effect, in a clear and bright way, via the voices and bodies of the performers. They make the words of the text their own in an almost natural way, without frills, without “acting” them, I would even be tempted to say. The full force of these words (at times underscored by the musical sounds of the group which was so dear to Mahmoud Darwich, the Trio Joubran. We also hear the voice of the former as he recites a poem entitled On this land) are felt by the audience at the National Theatre. The audience’s involvement in the piece was total and instinctively burst into applause, not because of the acting, but in response to the discourse of the characters, Antigone, and Haemon... This matter, that affects Antigone so, also concerns them, body and soul; it is in unison with that of the performers brought into the spotlight by Adel Hakim. © Nabil Boutros Palestinian National Theatre Adel HAKIM Author, director, and actor, born in Cairo, he lived in Egypt and then in Lebanon before moving to France in 1972. He did theatre at university, and trained with Ariane Mnouchkine and John Strasberg. In 1984, he set up the Théâtre de la Balance with Elisabeth Chailloux. In 1992, they were nominated as artistic directors of the Théâtre des Quartiers d’Ivry, which subsequently became the Centre Dramatique National du Val de Marne in 2003. Since 1987, he has staged Racine, Aeschylus, Botho Strauss, Joseph Delteil, Tarjei Vesaas, Seneca, Samuel Beckett, Roland Fichet, Carlo Goldoni, Jean-Claude Grumberg, Luigi Pirandello, Sophocles... During the last few seasons, he staged Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare, A Nest-Egg Well Scrambled by Labiche, and The White Rose based on the work by B.Traven. As an author, he has staged his own texts, some of which have been translated and performed in several countries: Exécuteur 14, Corps, and Après Pasolini: politique-visions... As part of his numerous collaborations abroad, he wrote and staged The Golden Fleece at the Theatre Drama in Bichkek, and then at the Théâtre des Quartiers d’Ivry in 2001. In 2010, he staged Moliere’s The Imaginary Invalid in Arabic at the Yemeni Cultural Center in Sana’a, in conjunction with the Centre Culturel Français de Sana’a. He has forged strong links with Latin America, particularly with Chile, where he staged works by Seneca, Euripides, Roland Fichet, Catherine Anne, Jean-Claude Carrière, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Botho Strauss, Hanokh Levin, Normand Chaurette, Carlo Goldoni, and Christian Ruiz amongst others..., as part of end-of-year performances by students at the University of Chile and the Catholic University in Santiago, and also with professional actors, leading to performances at the Teatro Nacional Chileno and the Teatro Camino. In Uruguay, he staged Sophocles and Martin Crimp at the Comedia Nacional in Montevideo. These collaborations in Latin America enabled him to discover contemporary authors such as Benjamin Galemiri (Chile) and Gabriel Calderon (Uruguay), and to bring their writing to Ivry as part of the Théâtre des Quartiers du Monde. He has taught dramatic art at the Ecole du Théâtre National de Strasbourg, ENSATT, CDN de Bordeaux, Ecole de la Comédie de St-Etienne, Théâtre National de Bretagne, Théâtre en Actes, Institut Supérieur d’Art Dramatique de Tunis, University of Chile and Catholic University in Santiago, Alliance Française in Buenos Aires, and the Casa del Teatro and UNAM in Mexico. Detailed information can be found at www.theatre-quartiers-ivry.com and wikipedia. The words “Palestinian National Theatre” take it for granted that this is a theatre which receives financial support from its own government, but the reality is that the Palestinian National Authority, as well as the theatre, live under occupation. In line with the bilateral agreements, it is forbidden for the Authority to subsidize institutions in Jerusalem. Moreover, the Palestinian National Theatre, being legally registered in Jerusalem, could ask for subsidies from the Israeli government. But, as a Palestinian organization, the directors of the theatre discount this possibility in order to maintain its freedom in putting on shows. The result is that Palestinian National Theatre is solely dependent on international aid and overseas partnerships in the pursuit of its activities as the only Palestinian theatre in the city of Jerusalem. In order to overcome the continued closing in of Jerusalem, this occupied city, and in order to maintain solid links with the Palestinian community, the Palestinian National Theatre organizes tours and programmes with theatres in the West Bank. These “beyond the walls” programmes are a way of bringing theatre to audiences unable to make the journey to the theatre themselves and of bringing together the Palestinian community that are involved in different art forms. For several years now, and despite the testing times that have been endured, the Palestinian National Theatre has been able to collaborate with numerous partners from France (Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, Théâtre des Quartiers d’Ivry, Compagnie La Barraca, Festival de Marionnettes de Charleville...), Norway, Great Britain, United States of America, Denmark, and Holland amongst others... Yves COLLET For a number of years, he has been Associate Artist at the Théâtre des Quartiers d’Ivry, with Adel Hakim (Antigone by Sophocles - Palestinian National Theatre, The White Rose, based on the work by B.Traven...) and Elisabeth Chailloux (The Playboy of the Western World by John M.Synge, L’illusion Comique by Pierre Corneille...). As Associate Artist for the Ensemble Artistique at the Théâtre de la Ville, he was behind both the set and lighting design for the various shows by Emmanuel Demarcy-Mota (Rhinoceros and Ionesco suite by Eugene Ionesco,Victor, or Power to the Children by Roger Vitrac, and Bouli Année Zéro by Fabrice Melquiot...). In the course of their adventure in theatre, he was awarded the Grand Prix de la Critique for the set and lighting design of Six Characters in Search of an Author by Luigi Pirandello. He was behind other collaborations with Brigitte Jacques-Wajemann (Nicomède - Suréna by Pierre Corneille, Cruel and Tender by Martin Crimp), Claude Buchvald, Valère Novarina, JeanPierre Garnier, Philippe Lanton, Jacques Vincey, Magali Léris, Philippe Adrien, Philippe Dormoy, Denis Lavant and Serge Teyssot-Gay, François Regnault, Martine Paschoud, Victor Gauthier-Martin, Catherine Dasté, Christian Germain, Mario Gonzales, François Kergoulay, Claude Merlin, Bernard Cronbey, Maurice Benichou and so on… Le Trio Joubran Hailing from Nazareth, the three brothers Samir, Wissam and Adnan Joubran are the inheritors of a family of luthiers from Palestine whose history can be traced over four generations. The origin of the trio dates back to over ten years ago, to the debut albums of the eldest brother, Samir Joubran: Taqaseem (1996) and Sou’fahm (2001). On the third album, Tamaas (2003) he was joined by his brother Wissam. With the arrival of their younger brother Adnan, Randana marked the true beginnings of the Trio Jourban. It was followed by Majâz in 2007, a work which established them as accomplished, “music-loving musicians” capable of captivating an audience right from the first notes... In 2009 came In the Shadow of Words with Mahmoud Darwich, a project featuring the writing and recital by the poet with whom they worked for many years. They accompanied him right up to the end, his aura travelling the globe, from Europe to Latin America via the Arab World. It was he who drew up this wondrous design for them when he told them: “Don’t be Palestinian musicians. Be musicians of Palestine...” It is a show whose beauty in visual terms, its rigour, never smothers the emotion arising from the words of Sophocles, the music of the Trio Jourban, and the dazzling talent of the performers. At times applause break out because a line seems to correspond precisely to the painful reality of the Palestinian people. But here it is the artistry and sense of sharing that unites the audience. And the not the political discourse. Armelle Héliot - Le Figaro The impact comes as a shock to the system. It is as if the fact of having Antigone, the tragedy by Sophocles, played out by actors who bring with them the searing intensity of their own story, that of the Palestinian people, suddenly gives it a renewed sense. And it is overwhelming. One of the strengths of this modern-dress show - played out before the high-tech façade of a very up-to-the-minute looking palace - is its departure from conventional acting styles. Set against the heady echoes of the music of the three Nazareth musicians, the Trio Joubran, the determination and contained violence in the magnificent acting of Shaden Salim are reminiscent of all the excesses of an archaic faith that verges on terrorism. And with it, the daughter of Œdipus suddenly becomes as worrying as she is seductive. Adel Hakim has done a marvellous job of exploiting to the full these artists whose mere presence is suggestive of the chaos and horrors of the world. Fabienne Pascaud - Télérama Antigone, in the promised land. Two millennia later, Sophocles’ most tragic heroine, has found a new resonance in Adel Hakim’s production. The choice is an extremely just one and which does credit to the figure of resistance Eva Fichefeux - Libération Antigone, a Palestinian drama. We encounter a land in crisis, a conflict of generations and the questioning of the legitimacy of power. Yet another version of Antigone, and yet another work dedicated to the Palestinian cause. Except that on this occasion, the two meet each other, in tune with the same tragic note. Thameur Mekki - Le Monde An exultant Antigone, whose modernity takes the form of the ancient tragedy in a potent way. Served up by powerful and willing actors, who are as moving as they are colourful and amusing in their roles, this production is a very beautiful and strong demonstration of the eternal Catherine Robert - La Terrasse power of tragedy. Great beauty, great dignity and great emotion emanates from this show which speaks of a very ancient world as if it were the present day. The result is deeply troubling. As an artistic and political gesture, this show demands admiration. Armelle Héliot - Le Quotidien du Médecin Breath-taking. An audacious troupe from East Jerusalem has taken on the tragedy by Sophocles. The troupe brings out all the strength of this universal work. Fragile but strong, beautiful and majestic, Shaden Salim is truly radiant. From Antigone to Mahmoud Darwich, the strength of the symbols goes down through the centuries. Jack Dion - Marianne A theatrical event. The language of Sophocles and that of Arabic echo eachother and give body to the mythical tragedy found in each and every one of us by breathing into it a very singular political scope. If Creon and Antigone are the driving force in the piece, the other actors deserve a mention. They are all pitch-perfect and astonishingly true, and underline the high quality of training at the Palestinian National Theatre. A superb tragedy with contemporary echoes. Shaden Salim’s acting provides us with a magnificent Antigone. Done in Arabic with French subtitles, the language carries with it heady scent of the Mediterranean and gives voice to an extraordinary vitality, whilst yielding itself up to all the truly tragic notes. The excellent music of the Trio Joubran, virtuoso exponents of the oud, accentuates the echoes of this ancient text dating back to over 2500 years ago. Marina Da Silva - Le Monde Diplomatique Jean-Luc Bertet - Le Journal du Dimanche The show is of such high quality in artistic terms that it is truly a theatrical event. The choice of the piece by Sophocles, Antigone, is an extremely just one in relation to the situation in Palestine without there being any need to “force” it in a way at all, or to make it say anything Jean-Pierre Han - L’Humanité else than what it says. Adel Hakim’s vision brings Sophocles to the modern world but does not link it to any one event or character. Or at least not in a visible way. The lighting captures the deep blue of Jerusalem nights. Everything finds it expression here, in the edgy acting backed up by the fine, toothcomb directing. And all this without pushing aside the Greek genius: the intimate pain and lies of the powerful. Gilles Costaz - Politis Antigone made in Palestine. Served up by a remarkable troupe of actors, Adel Hakim’s Antigone is played out in urban attire in front of Creon’s palace. In Yves Collet’s beautiful set design, it could be mistaken for the skyline of a modern-day city. Dressed in a hoodie and with her hair blowing in the wind, the young Shaden Salim plays an Antigone who is as as free from the shackles of religion as she is in revolt against the laws of the tyrant. The piece truly is a mouthpiece for Sophocles, whose thinking dazzles us here more than anywhere else in all its crystal-clear modernity. Patrick Sourd - Les inrockuptibles The sparse aesthetics bring out the intensity of the actors. The chorus, played by three men who sing and dance accompanied by the Trio Joubran, is particularly effective. The work of the director skilfully fades into the background in order to allow the words of Sophocles to glow and for the talent of the actors to be shown. Sylviane Bernard-Gresh - Télérama Sortir A show of rare dramatic intensity, where the beauty of the set marries brilliantly with that of the music and the Arabic language, and where poetry and lyricism transport the audience members to unexpected shores. Yonnel Liégeois - La Nouvelle Vie Ouvrière This production is an act of peace which never views the tragic nature of its epilogue as being an inescapable act. With flying colours, Shaden Salim pulls off an Antigone minus the veil and with dishevelled hair. This mythical figure, come from beyond the time of monotheisms, embodies the claim for a freedom for women. Patrick Sourd - evene.fr This show is an absolute must for those wanting to rediscover Sophocles. Philippe du Vignal - Théâtre du blog The show turns out to be a true gem embedded in an aesthetically sumptuous stage-set. Martine Piazzon - Froggy’s Delight Mourning/light: black and white are not the signs of a form of Manichaeism, but the symbols of tragic purity. Moving and potent. Laura Plas - Les Trois coups With its edifying echoes to modern times, the Sophoclean tragedy dazzles with its modernity and invites each of us to prefer peace to pride. Elsa Pereira - Timeout This work is a marvel of commitment, and will to live, as well as being a message of peace. But it is also a marvellous accomplishment in artistic terms: the powerful acting of the actors, and the simplicity and strength of the directing places this troupe along with the greatest. Camille Hazard - un fauteuil pour l’orchestre Antigone PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE 2016/2017 SEASON JANUARY 2017 Opening show of the new theatre Manufacture des Œillets Ivry-Paris This show is available for touring in 2016/2017 pEriod > February TO JUNE 2017 Antigone was created in May 2011 at the Palestinian National Theatre in Jerusalem and went on tour in the region. Since 2011, Antigone has been shown 120 times in Palestine, France, Cyprus, Belgium and Sudan, and received the 2012 Critics Award for best foreign production in France. Chroniques de la vie palestinienne Diaries of Palestinian life Cabaret, sketches and songs A short form by the Théâtre des Quartiers d’Ivry and the actors of the Palestinian National Theatre directed by Adel Hakim and Kamel el Basha with Hussam Abu Eisheh, Alaa Abu Garbieh, Kamel Al Basha Shaden Salim, Daoud Toutah texts by Hussam Abu Eisheh, Kamel El Basha, Ibrahim Jaber Ibrahim In Arabic and French simultaneous translation by Adel Hakim duration 1h10 This show is available for touring in 2016/2017 pEriod > February TO JUNE 2017 Life goes on, in the Occupied Territories. With all its drama, festivities, loves, and dreams. But the tragedy of a people is the tragedy of individuals before anything else. These individuals are complicated human beings, with all their aspirations and pain. Often they have no choice but to react to these dead-end situations with humour and irony. It is perhaps the energy of despair, but it is energy all the same. Energy for life, struggle, and the thirst for survival. The will to escape from the difficulties of everyday life. It is this energy which allows them to get over the worst with a smile on their face. The different scenes take place in a cemetery, morgue, amongst a family watching the television, or during a trip to France... In the venues where this short form has been shown (in Ivry, Aubergenville, Clamart, Champigny, Juvisy, and ChâtenayMalabry), spectators have found themselves, to their surprise, laughing and crying at the same time. This is theatre of the here and now, and which grapples with reality. Not only in Palestine but with the world. “These Chroniques de la vie palestinienne have been written by three of the actors but they are enacted by the entire troop. They provide us with fast and furious, intriguing dialogues between a storyteller, Hussam Abu Eisheh, and Adel Hakim, his double, and bringer of apostrophes. The latter watches over him, contradicts, taunts, and in this instance, translates his words for him. He is also a story-teller, in a verbal jousting match that only ends when the last word has been had. Each actor takes it in turns to act out one of the sequences, with subtitles in French, situated somewhere between the kingdom of the dead and the land of the living. Trouble is stirred up because the living are inhabited by the dead, and the living do not necessarily remain so for long. The dialogue between the two sisters in their grave (Antigone is not that far) is a gem... In a choreography of words carried along with a lightness of touch, this is cataclysm and survival, in the 22% of a native land which has been confiscated, and where the irony of everyday life wins the day. With the provisions for the journey to France, passport and border crossing, put into perspective with the checkpoints and body searches, we are treated to a “psycho-melodrama” which sends shivers down our spine whilst also making us laugh. It is an ode to life, love, creation, and dreams, given a freedom of tone in which the light-hearted battles it out with tragic, as does the absurd with reason.” Brigitte Remer - Théâtre du Blog Coproduction : Palestinian National Theatre, Théâtre des Quartiers d’Ivry. With help from the Consulat Général de France in Jérusalem, Centre Culturel Français Chateaubriand, Cooperazione Italiana allo Sviluppo Ministero Affari Esteri, TAM et the Groupe des 20 théâtres en Ile-de-France. Licences : 1-1038981 / 2-1036271 / 3-1036272 Zone Six