Compagnie Karyatides (Belgium)

The heroes of Victor Hugo's novel are carefully reincarnated on a table, with hundreds of clay and wooden figures, portraying a humanity in search of justice and freedom. A transposition that retains the political, social and philosophical significance of the original work and the adventures of its timeless narrative, which is (re)discovered here with exaltation: this version of Les Misérables is insanely creative!

This is the story of a man who, having lost everything and being haunted by his past as a convict, sacrifices himself for the wellbeing of a young girl that fate entrusts him with. It is the story of a victimised woman who has no choice but to sell her body and abandon her child. And that of a fanatic and tireless cop. That of a kid in the streets, insolent and free. A story of iniquitous justice. Of mankind’s inner struggle between good and bad. Of a chase that lasts many years and a man whose conscience is continuously tested. 

This is the story of a desperate people who rise up to defend their ideals, even if it takes them their last breath.

Prémios
- Prix du Public Festival Off d'Avignon 2015 - Catégorie Marionnettes - objet.
- Prix de la Ministre de la Culture et Coup de foudre de la Presse - Rencontres de Théâtre Jeune Public de Huy 2015.
- Prix de la Critique 2015 - Catégorie Jeune Public.

^{"What if the miniature reinforced great feelings? A jewel not to be missed (...)." - E.B., Télérama}

^{"Victor Hugo's masterpiece adapted for object theatre. A challenge magnificently met (...). Large, precise, romantic and committed (...)." - Laurence Bertels, La Libre}

^{"Two exceptional actresses gracefully play all the characters in this social novel (...). Art (miniature) and literature as a standard of resistance. Talent sculpted in its raw state." - Delphine Michelangeli, Zibeline}

^{"Invoking the infinitely small to speak of our humanity. This is one of the greatest missions of living theatre. Cie Karyatides has taken on this commitment and offers us a breathtaking reading of Les Misérables (...). The two actresses manipulate each object with great precision, literally bringing it to life. They don't just lend them their voices, they fully embody them. There's no concealment. It's a true theatrical and choreographic performance. Fascinating and extremely ingenious (...)." - Alice de Coccola, Io, la gazette éphémère des festivals} 

^{"The direction is so well done that it's magical (...). A new and surprising show, based on a great classic of French literature that has already been adapted for the stage and screen on several occasions. At first, you wonder what awaits us, but the magic of the stage does the rest. A beautiful discovery."}

^{- Daphné Troniseck, Le Suricate Magazine}

BIO

At the heart of the work of the Belgian company Karyatides, based in Brussels, is the adaptation of classical works to object theatre. Founded by Karine Birgé and Marie Delhaye, graduates of the Conservatoire d'Art de Liège, the company has presented its work at the most important theatre festivals. Among his greatest hits are Madame Bovary, Carmen, Les Misérables or Frankenstein presented in FIMFA Lx22. At the service of these stories, they develop a theatre of "figures", combining puppetry, object theatre and music. They play with these languages, each one with its specificities, and moving from one to the other. They use manufactured objects, sometimes full of references, they play with the commonplace, the cliché, thus provoking quirkiness from which poetry flows. These objects, future heroes of their stories or adventures, come from flea markets, Petits Riens or Emmaus. They were collected or traded according to the company's research and tours. They are almost bio, organic, ethical and completely recycled.

_CREDITS

_{Based on the novel by: Victor Hugo Creation: Karine Birgé, Marie Delhaye Performers: Karine Birgé, Marie Delhaye, Julie Nathan, Naïma Triboulet (alternately) Direction: Félicie Artaud, Agnès Limbos Writing collaboration: Françoise Lott Sound design: Guillaume Istace Lighting design: Dimitri Joukovsky Sculptures: Evandro Serodio Scenography: Frédérique De Montblanc Constructions: Alain Mayor, Sylvain Daval, Zoé Tenret Costumes in miniature: Françoise Colpé Painting: Eugénie Obolensky Technical direction: Karl Descarreaux, Dimitri Joukovsky (alternately) Illustration, graphics: Antoine Blanquart Production: Elodie Beauchet Photography: Yves Gabriel, Alice Piemme Coproduction: Théâtre de Liège, Théâtre Jean Arp - Scène Conventionnée pour les Arts de la Marionnette, Festival Mondial des Théâtres de Marionnettes de Charleville-Mézières Support: Ministère de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles - Service du Théâtre, SACD, Théâtre de la Montagne Magique, Centre Culturel Jacques Franck, Grande Ourse, Roseraie, Rotondes, Chiroux, Théâtre du Papyrus Travel support: Wallonie-Bruxelles International (WBI)
www.karyatides.net}