EDITH AND ME
This performance is part of the Materia Magica International Puppet Festival hosted by Klaipėda Puppet Theatre.
See full program here.
Yael Rasooly (Israel) in co-production with Nordland Visual Theatre (Norway)
Written, directed and performed by: Yael Rasooly
Regard Exterieur / co-direction: Neville Tranter, Yngvild Aspeli, Angélique Friant
Assistant director: Vanessa Valliere
Dramaturgy Consultant: Elizabeth Williamson
Design: Eduardo Felix, Revital Arieli, Aurora Majnoni, Ran Daniel Kopiler, Jérémie Legroux, Einat Landau, Yael Rasooly
Composer: Iliya Maglnyk
Sound Design: Ran Daniel Kopiler, Binya Reches
Light Design: Boualeme Bengueddach (France)
A singer is mysteriously muted and immobilized and can no longer perform. A silenced secret is burning inside her. Yet she is not alone – a feisty and determined Edith Piaf is there to drag her out of bed and pull her back into life.
Together, the unlikely duo conjures up a partnership of solidarity and tenderness, setting out together on a voyage full of grandeur and vulnerability, grief and victory, competition and compassion.
Yet the only way forward, to free themselves and each other from a haunting past, is to retrace it. To dare to touch and expose the truth.
To tell a story of survival through art in the most physical sense imaginable. One more time they will face the demons lurking close by – and those deep within – until a new, undeniable voice is born.
A one woman show, with puppets / object theatre and singing, explores – in an innovative and virtuosic way – the aftermath of violence committed by persons of power – as survivors meander through the distorted path of police investigation, the press and the legal system, that retraumatised them and scares them into silence. It delves into the aftermath of violence, body and soul, as well as the decision one is forced to take – whether to stay silent or speak out?
The play presents, with warmth and humor, the incredible struggle for saving and reclaiming one’s life and voice through art, with the inspiring force of a legendary woman and singer. The unfolding recollections of the trauma and injustice are artfully intertwined with the reawakening of the soul through music, human friendship and above all – love.
Yael Rasooly is a director, puppeteer and singer, who has been invited to perform in over 30 countries and hundreds of theatres and festivals with her self devised theatrical performances, alongside her musical career. Yael is a recipient of the New York Fringe Festival Grand Prix for a solo show, The UNIMA diploma of distinction, as well as other international prestigious awards in the field of visual theatre, winning wide critical acclaim by Télérama magazine and The New York Times. In her own words, “With this new show I have decided to do what I have always done in my art and life: to transform personal pain, trauma, fear, grief, injustice – into art that touches others, to tell this story in a way where people in the audience can see into themselves and know they are not alone. To shed a light on these issues and to encourage dialogue. This is also the true story of how Edith Piaf literally saved my life. Edith and Me is the third part of a trilogy I have been developing for 15 years, dealing with violence towards women / children. In this final chapter I can finally give centre stage to the main voyage – the one of healing.”
Nordland Visual Theatre, based north of the Arctic Circle in Northern Norway, offers residencies and co-production to artists and theatre companies. The theatre plays a key role in developing and promoting visual theatre in Norway. Nordland Visual Theatre’s co-productions range from traditional puppet theatre to cross-over works merging elements from the visual arts, theatre, mime, dance and multimedia. Productions are collaborations with theatre companies, puppeteers, actors, directors, stage designers, composers and artists from all over the world.
