The 9th Seoul Performing Arts Festival

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L'Effet de Serge - France

Time :

Nov 11(Tue) 20:00
Nov 12(Wed) 20:00 [CA]
Nov 13(Fri) 16:00

Venue :

Myeongdong Theater

Ticket Price :

General R(1F) : 50,000 won S(2F) : 40,000 won
Y/S R(1F) : 30,000 won S(2F) : 20,000 won

Duration :

75 min

Rating :

12 and over

Director :

Philippe Quesne

Company :

Vivarium Studio

Official entry to the Avignon Festival 2008! On a lethargic Sunday, Serge's small apartment turns into festivity and communication with acoustics and images forged by music, lighting, fireworks and lasers. If you are in the company with Serge, you won't be in need of your Nintendo or DMB. Just come over to Serge's.

Introducing

"An odd person who reverses the monotonous and trivial daily life"

Since its premiere in Paris in 2007, has been welcomed at festivals worldwide including the Avignon Festival 2008. The piece is a case in point of the effective combination of various texts and theatrical effects. refrains from pushing a grandiose theme of complicated plot to the forefront unlike traditional drama. Instead, the piece concentrates on the ordinary life of the protagonist, Serge. Issues facing modern society are dealt with light irony. The numerous plays directed by Serge for his friends are intended as pure performances. At the same time, they have elements of a meta-theater. The small apartment belonging to Serge is full of acoustics and images forged by music, lighting, fireworks and lasers. They transform his ordinary space into one of festivity and communication. His apartment does not have state-of-the-art games with dazzling sound and images. Yet there is a sense of peace that allows him to enjoy the company of his friends sharing pizza and wine. This simplicity makes their Sundays a treat. Serge is also willing to invite you to the party, so you, too, can find out how to spend Sundays with pleasure. For modern individuals long accustomed to spending their Sundays in front of the TV or the computer, this piece reminds them that people provide the best company. In a sense, is a drama exploring the analogue sentiment.

Serge appears from the backyard in a spacesuit shrouded in mist. His awkward appearance makes him seem like a character from outer space. He distances himself from the audience in this manner. The actor who plays the protagonist points out that he has come specifically to play the role of Serge. He wears the same outfit worn in the previous work, (2006). His unusual movements and lines suggest that he is not an ordinary individual. The sparse setting on stage contrasts starkly with his movements and lines.

The performance presented by Serge, the musically sensitive, is not a success. His audience invited to watch the performance is not impressed. In fact, they express more interest in the pizza and wine he offers. The pizza is delivered in the middle of the performance, so that the performance is interrupted. Serge breaks his nose while dancing in the dark. A series of such incidents makes one wonder whether Serge has got any talent as a director at all. Most of the music chosen by Serge is well known music by a wide spectrum of composers including Handel, Wagner and John Cage. But his performance falls far short of the grandeur of the musical pieces and Serge himself is too shoddy as a director. The effects in the title of the piece, L'Effet de Serge, are merely the fireworks at the corner or a boring laser show. The gap that is created makes the audience laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation, commiserate with the protagonist with whom they have come to fall in love.

In the meantime, the audience comes to long for the Sunday that Serge has drawn together to find meaning from the ordinary. That is because his performance no matter how shoddy adds positive energy to the everyday lives of his friends. Going beyond mere critique of the modern world, the director has added his warm humanist sentiments to the dry ironic humor played by Gaëtan Vourc'h. The friends invited to Serge's apartment in Korea will come away with the same longing.


Director	- Philippe Quesne Born in 1970, Philippe Quesne studied visual arts and design at the L'Ecole Estienne and set design at the L'Ecole des Arts Decoratifs de Paris. He has been involved in designs for the opera, concerts, drama and modern art exhibitions. In 2003, he set up the Vivarium Studio in Paris as an experimental stage for artists, dancers, and musicians. Since then, he has steadfastly pursued his unique projects on various themes with irony and aplomb. He has produced multi-media works that combine dramatic elements of sound, lighting, movements, the body and video with a variety of texts. The majority of performances have been inspired by literature, human science and music, among others. He has also produced space-friendly works that have been held in cities, art museums, parks and woods. In addition to the multi-media work of <La Démangeaison des Ailes> shown around the world, he has directed <Des Experiences> between 2004 and 2006 that offer diverse visions at various places including art museums, woods, ponds, marches and waste lands. His most recent works are <D'après Nature> (2006), <L'Effet de Serge> (2007) and <La Mélancolie des Dragons> (2008).
Company	- Vivarium Studio Philippe Quesne set up Vivarium Studio in 2003. The first work by the company was <La Démaneaison des Ailes> (2003) where musicians, a sculptural artist and a dog made their appearances. Since then, Vivarium Studio has been active both at home and abroad. The same members set up their headquarters in Le Forum du Blanc-Mesnil from 2004 until 2007 in Paris. The projects by Quesne have become a forum of exchange among performers. The company has also explored new art forms through exchange with genres of film, performance arts and publication. The past three years has seen the company setting home at La Menagerie de Verre to undertake more experimental projects. http://www.vivariumstudio.net
Staff	Conceived, directed and designed by Philippe Quesne With : Ga_tan Vourc’h, Isabelle Angotti, Zinn Atmane, Rodolphe Aut_ and Herm_s, Tristan Varlot + local guests. Administration/Management : Anaïs Rebelle production : Vivarium Studio 2007 coproduction M_nagerie de Verre _ Paris With the support of Culturesfrance Vivarium Studio is supported by DRAC Ile de France (French Ministry of Culture)
Cast	Gaëtan Vourc'h, Zinn Atmane, Tristan Varlot, local guests

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