Théâtre du radeau
François Tanguy Par autan

Par autan, the title of the new opus by Théâtre du Radeau, is that of a wind which blows far off into the distance. Via music and lights, it is on course to infiltrate sails, chassis, pulleys, tables, fairy lights and costumes worn by the actors and actresses, with words supplied by the likes of Shakespeare, Chekhov, and Walser.

Every two or three years, there is a new show by Théâtre du Radeau. This one is called Par autan, the name of a great wind. And it is set to blow a gale, carrying with it snatches of languages, music, lights and movements. Ever since Faust’s Jeu, over thirty years ago, there has never been any storyline, so to speak, any piece, and this latest work is no different. In its place are cascades of light, shelters, flights of freedom, and paths forking in all directions. This time round they will be accompanied by the words of Robert Walser, Franz Kafka, Heinrich von Kleist, Anton Chekhov, and William Shakespeare. Words, so dear to us, to be seized upon in mid-flight; beacons of light to guide us through the fits and starts of the theatrical dark. Prior to forging new paths, each piece makes use of material from previous works. “It is up to us to go back to what went before, to stitch and mend / here and there, the shreds of air, breathing and enigma / and to reconstruct the space” writes François Tanguy, the director and captain at the helm. At his sides, helping unfurl the Radeau’s brand of theatre, will be a jolly bunch of collaborators young and old.