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I’ve loved Macbeth. I think that Stephane Braunschweig adapted Shakespeare’s version with brio. The actors were just perfect in their tragic roles even if some funny moments bothered me and interrupted the tragic side of this play.

The decor was just amazing because in just 5 seconds we could pass from a simple kitchen to a very rich office and the forest of fir trees at the end made an impression on me.

The only thing that I did not enjoy was the length of the play because of certain scenes which were very very long.

To conclude, I would say that I rediscovered Macbeth with this very modern play in this splendid theatre: L’odéon.

 

Lilou 1ère L

 

The place was wonderful. I had never been to this theatre, so it was great to discover it.

When the play began I was really surprised by the set, its modernity and simplicity. I enjoyed it because it allowed the spectators to focus on the characters and their speeches. Because of the set, we could understand easily the role and place of each character. 

I thought the acting skills of the three women who played the witches were impressive. They conveyed fear, anxiety, nervosity in a very good way.

I thought the character of Macbeth was really nicely represented.  There was a great cohesion between the actors.

Louise 1ère L

 

This Shakespeare play was staged by Stéphane Braunschweig. In this play the setting and costumes were impressive. They moved me. I particularly appreciated that the play takes place nowadays. It is easier to enter this 17^th century drama.

Two elements of the stage directions have caught my attention: the vision of Banquo haunting Macbeth and Macbeth’s cut off head. These two things were amazing and terrifying with a realistic dimension of the vision and the craziness of Macbeth on the one hand and the troubled lookalike on the other hand. These two things were both spectacular and touching.

I experienced a lot of emotions during the play. I think the stage directions managed to achieve the goal of tragedy:  a purgation of the spectator’s fear and pity. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth were on the one hand terrific and on the other and appealing.

I totally agree with the way this adaptation was described as  “ blood stain on white tiles” .

I also agree with the translation chosen for Shakespeare’s text. In my opinion,  Stéphane Braunschweig perfectly transcribed the distressing atmosphere and the dramatic tone in setting the plot in another period.

Lucile M.  1ère L

 

We had worked on Macbeth and the place of witches in society in class, so when went to the Odéon we knew exactly what to face. The story is really captivating. You are placed in a situation of disagreement and division where everyone is trying to find their way. Lady Macbeth has wacky plans to bring her husband higher and higher and it is really frightening. The moment when the three witches give birth to their babies and deliver the prophecies with their babies was really breath-taking and left me speechless. During the play you never know exactly which side you are on, between the King’s entourage and the madness of Macbeth. 

The set is really simple, really pure. All the action is placed in the movement and in the text, not in the props.

Finally, I would say that this play is really enthralling and made me lose the count of time. It’s a beautiful play with talented actors who succeeded in bringing out the gloomy side of the play with verve.

Rime 1ère L

 

 

In the evening of Valentine’s Day we went to see Macbeth by Shakespeare directed by Stéphane Brauwnschweig. It was really amazing and the staging was impressive. Some scenes looked very real, as far as verisimilitude was concerned, especially when there were bloody murders.

I really appreciated the play and the madness of power was well highlighted, expect for one moment when the witches give birth. It was not really good but the last scene when Macbeth dies was really great.  

In general, I really loved the play but maybe it was a bit too long and at the end the dialogues were so long that I didn’t understand everything (even if it was in French).

I hope you will go and see it. It’s like a horror story and the staging serves it well.

Marie 1ère L

 

I thought the modernisation of the dialogues permitted a better understanding. They also tried to add modern society problems while they briefly talked about Brexit.

The set was cold and reflected the characters. Macbeth’s house, for example, with the metallic kitchen and white lightning showed a gloomy and morbid atmosphere. Moreover, the contrast between the red blood and the white floor created a striking artistic effect and made the experience all the more dramatic.

To me, the most striking scene was the death of Lady Macbeth and the line I remember is

“She dies too soon.”

However I didn’t find the acting of the actor who played Banquo so convincing. Also I thought that some adjustments of the text with humour were not a success and sometimes seemed almost inappropriate. They made the public laugh in front of the horror of Macbeth’s madness and removed the credibility of the character.  The witches, to me, were somehow turned into a joke by the way they were acting. Also, the scene with the babies which, I felt, was supposed to show Macbeth’s dreadful future made the audience laugh.

It was anyway a marvellous opportunity to see the play we studied in this theatre and I really enjoyed the play for the most part.

Angèle 1ere L

 

 

We went to see Macbeth at the Théâtre de l’Odéon on Valentine’s day. It was a chance for me because I had never seen a play by this author before. I was also very glad to go to this theatre.

It was the first time I had seen this place. Anyway.

I was very surprised by the staging. The setting of the play was totally new to me. I liked the change of scenery. Indeed, there were two giant walls which seemed like a bathroom and then the actors could move to change the background. Thanks to that they could easily transform the stage in a bathroom or a living room. During some changes all the lights were turned off for some seconds and then we saw another place. It was amazing. There were many objects on stage. I prefer plays with many props. It’s warmer when it’s not empty.

Afterwards my eyes focused on costumes. It was odd to see characters wearing 1990s clothes while the real story takes place in the middle-ages.

We had studied the play in class with our English teacher and heard and learnt some lines. So when we heard the lines in French, Angèle and I were totally offended, struck by the difference between the two versions of the lines. I prefer the lines in the original version, English; perhaps because we studied it first. I think that the line that surprised most was:

“Fair is foul and fouls is fair.”

as

“Le beau est laid et le laid est beau.”

Anyway, I can’t deny the fact that the thing which surprised me most is the way they changed the setting. Seriously, I’m in love with this.

Sometimes the play was a bit long, but not enough to spoil it. It was a good play. I was very glad to see it. We have to enjoy this kind of moments. They are unique and rare.  If I had to write a last word, a last sentence, I would write that it was a good evening despite the late come back to Versailles.

I would like to do other activities like this.

Manon 1ère L

 

2016 217 Yearbook 2nde 8

Projets autour du théâtre en langue anglaise de la Seconde européenne:

sorties théâtre et Ateliers théâtre en anglais avec la compagnie Drama-ties dans le cadre de l'Enseignement d'Exploration de la classe.

Mmes Goussot & Hue

2016-217_Yearbook_2nde_8.pdf

Cast List group B : Joe

 

Eliza : Alix N. (scene 4), Lilou  (scene 6), Tess i (scene 7), Elsa  (scene 8) , Théa  (scene 9), Sarah  (scene 10) .

Mrs Higgins :  Angèle  (scene 5), Estelle  (scene 6), Jeanne  (scene 10).

Mr. Higgins : Gabriel M. (scene 4), Matteo  (scene 5), Martin  (scene 6 + 7), Nicolas  (scene 8 + 9), Levy  (scene 10)

Pickering: Hugo  (scene 6), Paul (scene 7), Amandine  (scene 10)

Whiskers: Arthur  (scene 7)

+ in scene 7:  

- a footman: Alix N.

- a lady: Angèle

- another lady: Théa

- a lord: Gabriel M.

The Valley of Astonishment

Something captivating happened during last Friday night  in the « Bouffes de Nord »  theater. In this high and dizzy room, we found a curious and enthusiastic public … And intriguing atmosphere prevailed in the place …

Suddenly, the show starts and we witness the astonishing story of Sammy Costas …

The story begins strangely by a kind of recitation of a poem which explains the character’s childhood. In addition, people discover Sammy’s gift: she is able to memorize very large numbers or word lists… She links colors, pictures or landscapes with letters or numbers.

After some tests, the doctors discover that Sammy is a synestethe. Because of her boss, she loses her job and is take on by a magician: she becomes a phenomenon. During the rest of the plot, Sammy is really confused because she doesn’t know how to forget all the numbers that she knows. At the end, she offers her brain to scientists to let them study how her brain was created.

The performance was strange, original and we had never seen a show like this one. For the audience, it was easy to understand the speech of characters thanks to the translation on walls next to the stage. The actors were energetic, therefore the show was not boring.

The scenery was strange because the actors were in a stage where there were few objects (like chairs, a table, a coat stand with different costumes and a carpet to delimit the place where the actors played) but the change of places was easy to understand thanks to the moving of some objects and the changing of costumes.

We asked to Alix, a student of 2°8, about her feelings about this play, « For us it looks like modern theater. Sammy Costas was amusing and incredible! At the end of the play, when she was sad, we would have liked to help her. We enjoyed this story but the beginning of the play was difficult to understand and we didn’t see the relationship with the rest of the play! »

Alice, Alix E, Justine and Maureen

 

 

Have you ever dreamed of memorising everything ? If yes, Peter Brook will catch your attention with this play, entitledThe Valley of Astonishment.

 

It is the story of Sammy Costas, a journalist with an incredible talent of memory. She has synesthesia, which is a form of autism. She can memorise everything and tell it back without thinking. Her boss finds out about it and encourages her to see a specialist. She then founds then that she was a phenomenon. This could be good news but everything starts to go down. She gets fired of her job and don’t know what to do before finding a job in a TV show. Considerate as a freak, her memory is lacking. She is slowly getting haunted by all the numbers and all the words. What will she become ?

They were only three actors in the play and each one is two or three characters. Kathryn Hunter plays Sammy Costas, the main character and a doctor. Marcello Magni plays a doctor and a magician in the TV show, and Pitcho Woenba Koega plays a doctor, a synesthese and the TV show director. There is also Raphaël Chambouvet who plays the musician: he plays the piano during the play.

The setting was really simple. There were only three chairs which were placed on a beige square. On the left, there was also a coat rack where the characters’ doctor coats were. On the right, there was the piano. Lights were really important in the play because they use it to create ambiances.

Finally, we liked this play. It was very touching and funny. We learnt more about synesthesia. The play was a quite long at the end but we keep an amazing remember of this night!

Angèle, Amandine, Théa

 

 

An extrodinary and poignant play in "Les Bouffes du Nord" theater

 

The Valley of Astonishment tells the story of handicap persons who are very clever. They can connect different parts of their brains and use them to have  better lives. There were only three actors.

In each scene, there were two doctors and one patient.

There were one autistic patient, with an enormous memory; one physicalyl handicap person, who had difficulties with his legs; and one traumatised person, who painted his sorrow.

At the end, there was a magical show and the autistic person was called to put on a show with her memory. But, after a lot of performances, her memory was full so she was overwhelmed by the  things she remembered (numbers or words).

All the actors were totally in their characters and it was a breath-taking performance. Even if they had  to play different roles, they stayed focus on their characters.

The props were restricted, there were only three chairs and one table. It was interesting to make the public participate in the play at the end.

The story was really original. It's not something we see every day.

Estelle, Jeanne S, Baptiste

 

09/12/16

The valley of astonishment

Like Daniel Tammet, Sammy has incredible memory. She can remember everything that she is told. After loosing her job she sees scientist to analyse her brain. They discover that she is unique. She is hired by a talent show to perform on stage, and impress the public.

"It’s a woman who has synesthesiea but she discovers a new job which is to entertain a public."

This show was played with three actors, four chairs, a table, a coat rack and a piano. 

"The most amazing play I have ever seen "

 

Lévy, Gabriel M, Mattéo

 

 

Bouffes du Nord, Paris, Friday 9^th at the end of the day, 34 students waiting, in a street.

In the theater, actors, powerful feelings, smile on faces and the beginning.

     

The valley of astonishment was the title, Peter Brook the playwriter. Synesthesia the subject of the play. A poignant beginning, a job, a medical institute, doctors, fabulous brains, losing a job, a TV producer, a descent into hell.

An intelligence so developed, crazy eyes in front of this girl, so skinny, so small, but so smart.

A man with a handicap, a brilliant recovery, a way to live and an incredible progress with happiness.

 

       Kathryn Hunter, Marcello Magni and Pitcho Womba Kong were the actors. They had emotion in their eyes, were completely into their characters. “Amazing” is the term for the casting, because the characters were played very well and by especially Kathryn Hunter who plays woman with synesthesia.           

       Raphaël Chambouvet the musician composed a music full of feelings and emotions along which the actors played as if synchronized.

 

       Simple costumes, simple décor, simple props, an amazing theatre, that was the recipe of the play.

       Only a table with four chairs and a coat stand for the setting , doctors’ coats, hats and everyday clothes for the costumes.

       « Les Bouffes Du Nord » is old and typically Parisian. It gave so much charisma and an awesome atmosphere to the play.

       

       The play was very interesting because we learned a lot all along. We learned more on the lives of the people who have synaesthesia. We loved the « Magic Show » because we find it very fun. The music was good.

The girl who has synesthesia was fascinating, especially when the doctors tell her to spell a lot of numbers and  words.

In conclusion, we find the play and the story original and spectacular, we loved it and advise you to go see it. 

            

Marie , Jeanne H , Paula & Miral