Home page > Event reviews > Z’Arts Up à Béthune > You and I and we all walkabout

You and I and we all walkabout

Wednesday 28 April 2010 , by Aurelien Marteaux , Chantal Lamarre , Jean-Marie Diricq , Jean-Marie Grall , Jérémie Bernaert (Translation  Mathilde Vautier)

All the versions of this article: [English] [français]

Street theatre is largely based around walkabouts. In a way, that’s what makes it specific. Artists move around and so does the audience.

This is how Brass band « A bout de Souffle » hopped along, kicking off Z’arts Up walkabout programme with the cheerful sound of the clarinets, saxophones and other trumpets dominated by the helicon. Meanwhile, the other brass band « La Brigade des Tubes », coming from the opposite direction, met them at Grand Place town square, with instruments from both sides echoing one another.

From then on started two days filled with exciting walkabouts, one of Z’arts Up ’s programming speciality.

With Spanish company « Kamchàtka », and their performance with no text but touching gestures, so moving that a member of the audience started to cry with emotion.

With « Joseph K. » and his never-ending gift of the gab during a quirky visit of Béthune.

With « Les Alamas Givrés », who deserve such description [NB: « Givré » in French means « crazy »].

With « Company n.8 », and their blistery criticism of everyday red-tape. Garanteed success in a country like France.

With « La Roulotte Ruche » who humorously reveals the inside story of an undertaking business, with leis, praise of the deceased and so on. It’s not even cynical, it’s worse!

And also, because we can’t go on for too long, the C.I.A company (la Compagnie Internationale Alligator) where the great revolutionary orators are still echoing today.

Seeing 300 people crying for food, following the performers, rue Gambetta, like it was back in 1789, one could only measure the journey that Z’arts Up went through : a small audience, getting bigger and bigger, through experiencing the festival, takes part directly in the shows now, as opposed to just watching them. It might be the essence of what a festival develops over the years...

Diaporama (51 photos)

Extracts
SPIP | template | | Site Map | Follow-up of the site's activity RSS 2.0