Contes et Légendes

Joël Pommerat’s work is closely linked to the Théatre National. Notably, in 2011 it is at Théatre National that he debuted his magnificent Cendrillon. In 2016 we also presented Ça ira (1) Fin de Louis, a mammoth show on politics. With Contes et Legendes, the French writer/director returns to a more intimate form of theatre. He addresses childhood, especially that tipping point when it slides into adolescence. When the first questionings arise. How to create oneself, through which collective representations? Joël Pommerat associates this key moment in human existence with the myth of the artificial creature. In a slightly futuristic universe he imagines a coexistence between humans and social robots, not that artificial intelligence is at the heart of the piece, but rather as a prism through which our relationships and our emotions can be revealed in all their complexity. The show is the fruit of a lengthy creative process, eight months of workshops and rehearsals fed by research. To reveal more would be a sin. It would be akin to disclosing the ending of a thrilling movie. This is definitely theatre with a top flight team and finely wrought writing but Joël Pommerat almost makes us forget where we are…