Ambregris

Les Antliaclastes (FR)
Fri 03/03/2023 - 19:00
Easy language
10 – 110 yrs

Ticket prices

€ 14 - check our reductions

Ambregris tells the story of Pinocchio inside the belly of a whale. Let yourself be enchanted by this magical puppet operetta and immerse yourself in a wonderfully imaginative world with a mesmerising soundtrack. This wordless show fluently features numerous surprises and fascinating images.

Pinocchio is a classic tale about transformation. Nowhere is this clearer than in the scene where he is inside the belly of a whale, a pivotal moment in the story when the wooden puppet is confronted with his creator and his own existence. Inside the whale, the puppet begins his transformation until he is finally spewed out into the world as a real boy.

Ambergris or ambregris in French is a grey, solid and waxy substance produced in the intestines of sperm whales. It is a very expensive and rare product known for its use in the perfume industry. Amber has the magical property of connecting various scents and taking them to a higher level. It also has a unique fragrance of its own.

Ambregris tells the story of the production of this rare substance and links it to the best-known literary characters ever to be swallowed by a whale. These include Jonah, who was swallowed by a whale because of his lack of faith in God and was belched out when he had regained his faith, Pinocchio who had a whale swallow him while looking for his creator, and captain Ahab from Moby Dick whose fascination with a whale became his downfall.

Ambregris is set in a large perfume laboratory where a perfumer is looking for the perfect lump of grey amber to finish his fragrant creation.

Through its musical structure, Ambregris combines string, shadow and hand puppets, masks and live perfume synthesis into an olfactory puppet operetta about our existence and its scents.

Les Antliaclastes is a puppet theatre company from Maillet, France directed by Patrick Sims. Sims was born in Vermont, USA where he studied film and animation, and pursued a PhD at Trinity College Dublin in the field of puppetry. Les Antliaclastes use a unique blend of puppetry techniques and styles, masks, machines and original soundtracks.

part of Boze Wolf festival

More info

antliaclastes.net

direction, scenography and puppets Patrick Sims play Karine Dumont, Patrick Sims, Nicolas Hubert and Richard Penny masks and puppets Joséphine Biereye costumes Camille Lamy decor and mechanics Richard Penny, Nicolas Hubert sound design Karine Dumont lighting design Sophie Barraud, Jean Grison stage manager Sophie Barraud photo Jeff Lefranc