U.S. Premiere
Les Éphémères
Ariane Mnouchkine
Théâtre du Soleil
July 7, 2009 - July 19, 2009
Wade Thompson Drill Hall
From the matriarch of exploratory French theater comes a truly visionary play that, at its root, asks life’s ultimate question: What would you do if the end of the world were imminent?
With Les Éphémères, based not on text but on the ordinary circumstances of our everyday lives, the brilliant and widely influential director Ariane Mnouchkine once again delves into the core of our sensibilities. Mnouchkine’s theater collective, Théâtre du Soleil, explores personal stories of pain and compassion in episodes that reflect our common experiences to find meaning in the mundane.
Mnouchkine recreates her famed Cartoucherie performance space in the historic Park Avenue Armory, a theatrical surround self-described as an “autopsy room” for this remarkable work. Presented in two parts that can be viewed individually or in a full cycle, Les Éphémères is a tour-de-force that transcends theater and pulls back the curtain on our own lives to reveal the familiar memories that haunt us and the hope that we share.
Performances
Part I
Tuesday, July 7, 2009 at 7:30pm
Friday, July 10, 2009 at 7:30pm
Wednesday, July 15, 2009 at 7:30pm
Part II
Wednesday, July 8, 2009 at 7:30pm
Thursday, July 16, 2009 at 7:30pm
Friday, July 17, 2009 at 7:30pm
Full Cycle
Saturday, July 11, 2009 at 2:30pm and 7:30pm
Sunday, July 12, 2009 at 2:30pm and 7:30pm
Saturday, July 18 at 2:30pm and 7:30pm
Sunday, July 19 at 2:30pm and 7:30pm
There will be a dinner break between Part I and Part II.
Performance Details
Performed in French with English supertitles.
Run Time
This performance is approximately 3 hours and 20 minutes with one intermission.
“Haunting…immense in its emotional impact … The acting is of that sublime but unshowy order generally only achieved by true theatrical collectives...exemplary. The musical score by Jean-Jacques Lemêtre is among the finest I’ve yet heard for a theatrical production and is beautifully integrated.”
The New York Times
“…you’ll leave the Armory on a cloud…with your mind spinning from the extraordinary experience.”
New York Daily News
Gallery
Artists & Creatives
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Director
Ariane Mnouchkine
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Collective Creation
Théâtre du Soleil
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Music
Jean-Jacques Lemêtre
Production Credits
Presented by Lincoln Center Festival in association with Park Avenue Armory.
Related Events
Wade Thompson Drill Hall
A Room in India
This North American premiere follows the adventures of a touring French theater company stranded in India without a director as the world around them falls into disarray, by French director Ariane Mnouchkine and her company Théâtre du Soleil.