Poli Degaine - "Punchy Draw"
Presented by: Compagnie La Pendue
Country of Origin: Herbeys, France
Description:
Two puppeteers on the run are bringing with them a massive weapon of hilarity: they draw Polichinelle, the most famous puppet in the world and, with unbridled enthusiasm, get ready to perform a show of which exceptional qualities they have proclaimed. But, as planned, nothing goes as planned. Welcome to the hilarious frenzy of a new version of Polichinelle where he appears in his most wild outburst, in an explosive rhythm, provoking roars of laughter that strike indiscriminately kids as much as adults. Because Polichinelle laughs at everything. Death included.
Company Bio:
The French puppet company La Pendue was created in 2003 in Grenoble by Estelle Charlier and Romuald Collinet, two former pupils from the National School for Puppetry of Charleville-Mezieres. Before meeting in Charleville-Mezieres, Charlier studied at the Conservatory for Dramatic Art in Grenoble and was a performing arts student at her University. Collinet began performing street puppetry at the age of 17 and studied for a time with the Neapolitan master Bruno Leone, who taught him performance techniques from the 400 year-old Pulcinella tradition.
La Pendue is managed by Le Theatre de l'Homme Ridicule, and it has built its workshops, its yurts, and its rehearsal room on the top of Herbey's hill. The artists from La Pendue orient their work in two directions: traditional glove puppet productions inspired by Pulcinella as well as contemporary work which experiments with different puppetry techniques. Through the most varied and paradoxical forms, La Pendue desires to defend puppetry as a universal human symbol able to reveal dark zones, to alter social masks, and to guide the spectator toward his inner self.
La Pendue has performed at festivals and cultural programs throughout France and has also performed abroad in Canada, Egypt, Germany, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, Switzerland, and the U.S. (New York).
For more information visit their website.
Supported in part by Etant donnés: The French-American Fund for the Performing Arts, a program of FACE (French American Cultural Exchange)
