"The dead never left, they are still in the shadows that light up" Birago Diop.

Le Channel, in Calais, (a state-subsidized Theatre), asked Aurélie Morin to produce a short, intimist, evanescent piece to be included in the programming mosaic of Rêve general: an artistic, festive and popular event organised around a large number of artistes from 8 to 12 October 2008.

From this proposal, Ô emerged, a first rendition of a work in progress based on shadow puppetry and the body, presented in the form of a short, 15 minute play. The scene is set between two swinging French windows that carry and hide the screens. Wooden doors, paper and fabric windows… the object is deployed and moves around with the movement of the piece. On the inside, you can guess the presence of the people running this magical space: between the lights and the screens, behind the shadows, the musician and the puppeteer narrate, relate and communicate.

The story

Ô is a reflection on water, its symbolisms, physical properties, and its fluid and transparent substance. Water as the starting point for movement, as the initial intention of shadow work, as initial acoustic material. On stage, a puppeteer and a musician… Sources of inspiration: the unknown woman of the Seine, water and femininity in "Water and dreams" by Gaston Bachelard, the surrealists, Jules Supervielle's short stories. A woman speaks of her fear of the immobile. She loses the last traces of her shadow and plunges into the abyss…

The Players

Design, production, performance: Aurélie Morin
Choreography assistant: Chloé Attou
Musical score, interpretation, production, control system: Aurélien Beylier
Construction: Messaoud Ferhat

Co-productions

Le Channel (Scène Nationale), Calais/Le Théâtre de Nuit 
Our thanks to Théâtre Les Aires de Die

Schedule

Presentation at Le Channel (Scène Nationale) in Calais on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 October 2008. The play was performed four times each day.