In Conclusion

It's been several weeks since we finished the seminar on Theatricality and Reality in Modern French Drama, lead by Dr. Maryann Frese Witt of North Carolina State University. I have been asked often since my return how my trip was. As I prepare to respond, I feel my body energize, my eyes open wide, a huge smile forms on my lips and from the inside, I know I'm glowing.

I loved this seminar. It was beautiful, enriching, inspiring, soul cleansing...who knew theater could have such a profound effect on someone? Maybe Kate, Elaine...

My hope is to flavor our work in 8th grade French with some of the lessons learned by experiencing the many aspects of theater in Avignon. Most of all, I believe the work of a director and her or his actors is one that requires openness and empathy for the text and the characters. I found that in our scenes becoming a character is not that easy, but I used our work together to illuminate a piece of myself. It was a gratifying exercise.

I would like to thank (in order of appearance at our conference table), Chris, Brenda, Court, Suzanne, Mary, Martha, Dana, Tesa (Dominique, Bliss and Myna), Jennifer (Beau), Valerie, Ray, Symphorien, Michael, and of course Maryann and her magnificent assitants, Maguerite, Marjorie and Ron. You provided thoughtfulness, eagerness, camaraderie, support, friendship, great stories, and meals. We laughed often even as we marveled at the amount of work we completed all in FRENCH!

Any teachers interested in participating in a seminar in Avignon next year will be pleased to know that Dr. Ron Witt (yes, Maryann's husband) is leading an NEH Seminar on Petrarch in English in Avignon. Look for it in the fall listings on the NEH website.

I am grateful to ALL OF YOU who made this possible. I love you all.

Peace.

Pas de Quartier: Sensational!

Now this performance has been sold out every night. I'd bought my ticket last week, and unwittingly left it home. They were about to close the door for the show. When you buy tickets and you use your OFF membership, they write the name of the play on your card, which was the case for "Pas de quartier". I went to the ticket booth and explained, and the not so helpful teller said she couldn't let me in without a ticket, it was a matter of insurance.

A man came up behind me and asked what was the problem. Jennifer had explained to another gentleman at the door what had happened. He in turn was telling this man. I said, "I have to see this show!" I said, trying to contain my hysteria at the possibility of not getting in. "I'm American. I'm leaving tomorrow. Please!" And then, I began to cry! Really, I was that upset.

The man took a left over ticket from the desk and gave it to me. He told the ladies (who were sneering, "OMG, I think she's going to cry," because they could see the tears welling up in my eyes), "Well, now you have 3 tickets left" and gave me a ticket! I thanked him. Ran inside, found Jennifer, and from the moment the lights were out, I knew that I had been correct. This would be a great show.


Choreographer Abibo Kebe, Jennifer, Director Eric Checco, moi


Monsieur Kebe et Jennifer


Ray-J, the human beat box et moi


One fantastic dancer...man...

I'm at the moment gushing with excitement. This was a great performance. I know, those of you who know me are wondering when am I not gushing with excitement. I was fortunate. I loved and learned from ALL of the shows that I attended. This one was a wonderful way to end my Avignon experience.

"Pas de quartier" can mean two things-- #1. a step/stroll/walk around the block (neighborhood) or #2. not from the neighborhood.

un pas= step
pas = part of the expression for negation "ne...pas". Colloquially, the "ne" may be dropped.

After the show, I had the opportunity to speak to Eric Checco, the man whose vision produced "Pas de quartier".

SZ: How did this come about?
EC: In 2005, I was asked by the producers of Alvin Ailey's dance troupe to come up with a hip hop production. I didn't want this to be simply the stereotypical hip hop filmed on the streets with dancers wearing baseball caps backwards. I wanted it to mean something. At about that time, there was unrest in the suburbs. It was really sad. The youth, many of whom were second generation children of immigrants who were born in France, felt as if they weren't being heard by their nation. I wanted to begin the story from the perspective of the grandparents who came to France and fought in French wars for France. Their grandparents fought for a France that they wanted to love.
SZ: Your tale is chronological beginning during WW1, but it seems to be ruptured by the baroque piece in the center of it. What were you trying to do there?
EC: Baroque music was music that was marginalized in its period in relation to what we know as classical music. Hip Hop music today is also marginalized in France in relation to pop music. I wanted to relate these two styles.

This presentation was different from all the shows I've seen. At the end of each segment, the audience would show their appreciation for the dancers' skill by clapping. There was cheering when the dancing or acrobatics were exceptional. One of the dancers was able to flip off of the wall by running on the wall and flipping over.

Dancers could "dance" not on two hands but on one!

The staging begins with twin brothers dancing together resembling hieroglyphic movements in their dance. It is during the time of recruitment in Africa to help fight in the Great War (WWI). The next scene which was my personal favorite and the reason I was attracted to this program-- the dance of the Senegalese sharpshooters. There is a lot I would like to learn about these men. They wear red fez (hats) and one carries a French flag. Their movement in formation reminds me of the sculpture of the soldiers at Iwo Jima complete with flag. It is magnificent, and sets the story which moves through the decades of musical influences from Jazz to Bebop to Disco and Hip Hop.

Banania, a cereal company used the image of a Senegalese soldier to sell their product. My friend, Marc, a retired pharmacist, a Frenchman, explained to me that these men were heroes. He felt that Banania was trying to promote their strength and courage. "I mean," he said, "They came from far away to fight far away from home, and for we French who were undersiege, they were celebrated." Senegal at the time was a French colony. I'd like to research more about them. Marc and I had this conversation because I wanted to understand why Banania moved from the old image to the new, a grotesque, cartoon character which does not speak to the bravery of which Marc spoke.


Here is the older, smiling image of the earlier can. Next to it is a box of spices from the caribbean.
Reminds me of the brand of rice and the pancake syrup we have in the states. Curious. If you do google images "Banania" you'll see the new, bright yellow boxes with the newer image. Interesting.

There is a regular Hip Hop theme which links all the segments. Another major segment with the dancers is the arrival of various immigrants to France, and the immigration officer who doesn't know what to do with the number of people arriving. There are smiles on the newcomers' faces and expressions of wonderment.

Although the story is told mainly through dance, we are offered poetic expressions through rap, soulful singing in both French and English, and a remarkable performance by Ray-J whose beat box is impeccable. The way he was able to get various sounds out of his throat was awe inspiring.

The message was basically, "Don't reject us France. Our soul is French, if not French of blood. France, the color of the rainbow."

This is a lovely vision, and inclusive one. The dancers were Black, White, and all hues in between. Attention! (That's French for be careful.) There are voices that aren't represented here. There are still angry voices, frustrated voices. "Pas de quartier" also speaks of "pardon", forgiveness --these children are prepared to forgive if their nation is prepared to see them and hear them.

For me, this was a vision that Genet might have hoped for in the end of the play, "Les Nègres". His play ends with an unanswered questions: "What needs to happen to end the horrible, violent ritual? When and how will the marginalized also be able to exercise power over themselves and their future. What will the new life look like, where the individual is mistress/master of her or his own fate? "

Once all (French) people are accepted regardless of the color of their skin or origin, what kind of world will they create?

The performance Jennifer and I saw was smaller than the usual. Normally, the baroque music is played by a live orchestra complete with a "contre tenor" and a "claveciniste", a piano like instrument that provides the characteristic sound in baroque music.

More on "Pas de quartier"? www.pasdequartier.com

Sartre and the Flies

Power over Zeus.


Dreaming of her future hero and encouraging Orestes to take up arms.


Zeus making his deal.


As time is flying by, I realized that I didn't reflect a bit on Sartre, but there was not a lot of time between jumping from the presentations and discussions to our next endeavor with Ionesco.

With our discussions of Sartre and existentialism, I began to think about who I want to be.
Sartre was imprisoned during World War II. It was here that he began to expand on his ideas regarding existentialism. I played Electra in his play, "Les Mouches" (staged by Tesa). Electra awaits for a hero to save her. Her brother Orestes returns and after much goading --I mean encouragement--from Electra, he kills his mother who remained queen when she accepted her husband's killer as consort. Anyway, as I've said before, I play Electra, and let me tell you, I developed an incredible dislike for her. She's all talk and no action. And when she is tormented by the horrible Flies (flies is the translation of "mouches"), she sells out her brother and returns to serve Zeus, after completely disrespecting this god in the first Act of the play. As a result, based on Sartre's vision of a hero, she is the anti-hero and therefore ceases to exist. By the end of our performance, my Electra is completely covered by her black shawl, and she sits unmoving on the stage.

But Orestes is the true Sartrean hero. As far as I understand existentialism, we ARE not until we BECOME. We do not EXIST until we have ACTED. In this definitive action, we become free. This notion of becoming is tied with the idea of liberty. I say idea because one might achieve a sense of freedom, even while trapped, enslaved or imprisoned. This is what I understood after a colleague's presentation of Sartre, France and the Resistance. In the theatrical sense, the action tends to be definitive, glaring and repulsive to society. I'm not prepared to say that the ACTION must always be dramatic. However, I am in Avignon studying theater soooo...bear with me!

Orestes is a handsome young man from Corinth, who, in search of his family, returns to Argos. There he finds Electra and the past from which he had been protected. The king, his father, had been killed, and the people of Argos accepted the killer as their new king. Now, I am not familiar with the Greek stories which include Electra's dad, and I have no idea if he was a good leader or a poor one, but it's understandable that his children feel that justice was not served. The people of Argos are unkind, frightened and in constant remorse. They provide Zeus with libations, and accept their fate as it is. The people of Argos are kept in check by Zeus' flies. And so, after reviewing all this, Orestes agrees with Electra, and he kills the current king and queen (Orestes' mother). It is Orestes who acts. And when Zeus confronts him, he demands remorse from Orestes. Orestes explains quite calmly that he does not believe what he did was wrong, regardless of the consequences (an eternity of torment by the flies). From the youthful, insouciant young man of Corinth that he was, he BECOMES a man who takes full responsibility for his belief and his actions.

What will the people of Argos do now? Well, Orestes will not become king, despite being guaranteed the throne by Zeus in return for remorse. Instead, Orestes leaves, taking the flies with him (his punishment and sacrifice), and he asks nothing but that the people of Argos take this opportunity to choose their own path to liberty. Can you see the real-life connections we may have made here in our seminar discussions?

My last French class with Isabel Roche at Bennington College was a year discussion on the relationship between the individual and society and the way it was portrayed in French drama. It just floors me how much the same themes over centuries are constantly addressed.

Who is the individual? What are their needs, skills, likes, dislikes, desires? In what ways do these needs, skills, likes, dislikes, desires affect society?
What is the role of society? In what ways does society affect the individual?

What is liberty?
Clearly, each person defines this for themselves. For Sartre, he saw it through his existential lens. But ultimately, what I take from Sartre is that each of us must walk our own path, live our lives the way we must for ourselves. To me, the role of society is to protect the rights of the individual, not to demand that the individual live their life a specific way. The individual's mandate is to not infringe on the right of another individual to live their life. Well, that's always how I read the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. And if an individual CHOOSES to live in a society, then they have signed up to follow the fair and just laws of that society.

Attention! Careful! Sartre believes to truly become, the individual must be engaged, the individual must act and not let oneself be acted upon. This means that I must choose, know why I make the choices I make (and not follow blindly), then accept my decisions. Leave remorse to the flies.

Oedipe a la ferme: Funny

Chickens ruling Thebes?
Ducks ruling Corinth?
Leeks for soldiers?
An onion as a servant in tears?
An egg as king?
Well, that's this play. The sublime absurdity of it all made this a must see.

The actors were creative, energetic and hilarious. There were lots of play on words, some I got, some I didn't, but laughed when the French people laughed.

From the origins of Greek culture to the retelling of this classic tale, the two actors on stage kept us chuckling all the way. The concept of the Oedipal complex achieves new heights. When Oedipus, played by an egg and a man, lay on a couch discussing his life (this is where Oedipus realizes what happened), I wondered, 'How do men overcome this?' One way might be through lots of humor, singing and dancing perhaps. At the end of the performance when the anguished Oedipus blinds himself, all the lights are turned off--the audience is blinded with him.

I could not watch this play without thinking of a video I saw on YouTube entitled Oedipus (with Vegetables). Here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NydKPClhYgM
It is approximately 9 minutes long.

Mes amis francophones en France: retrouve BAMBI a Paris...

J'ai vu cette pièce ce soir au Festival d'Avignon (du 6 au 28 juillet). Elle était drôle et magnifique. Pour mes amis francophones, je vous conseille vivement d'aller voir cette pièce. Elle jouera encore à Paris du 7 au 25 août 2007 au TARMAC de la Villiette.

De la petite annonce que j'ai reçu:
"On ne s'appelle pas Bambi lorsque l'on naît au Sénégal! Pourtant, c'est derrière cette identité d'illusion et d'infortune que la comédienne sénégalaise a décidé de nous conter les mille et une chausse-trappes qui ont meurtri son existence et sa venue en France.

"Morceaux de vie, tranches de vécu, risibles, minuscules s'ils n'étaient frappés au coin de la blessure, de l'exclusion et de la bêtise majuscules. L'incompréhension des parents, le mépris du maître, le viol du voisin, les mensonges du marabout, les paillettes de l'ailleurs, le mariage et la belle-famille européenne au racisme tranquille, les désillusions de l'exil sur le chemin du père, la rupture, ... autant de grimaces de la vie qui trouvent un peu de répit sous le mascara du rire et de l'humour, autant d'errances apaisées avec la rencontre et l'amour."

Voilà ce que dit Maïmouna Gueye: "J'étais celle qui dit non, la dévergondée qui veut faire du théâtre. Je rêvais de paroles, je voulais vomir le trop-plein de choses qui bouillonnaient en moi."

Text et interpretation: Maïmouna Gueye
Mise en scène: Jacques Allaire

Bambi...Elle est noire mais elle est belle: Powerful

Text et interpretation: Maïmouna Gueye
Mise en scène: Jacques Allaire
au Théâtre le Petit Louvre, 19h50.

Tonight, upon my return from Paris, I went to see the play, Bambi: Elle est noire mais elle est belle.
I knew from the moment I saw the poster with that title, I would go see it. Which did you notice first? Did you notice the name of the character Bambi? Or did you think about the phrase that follows the title.

"Elle est noire mais elle est belle," means she is black but she is beautiful. It may not be hard to figure out why I chose this one woman show. Maïmouna Gueye, born and raised in Sénégal, recounts the story of a Senegalese woman, whose parents indeed named her Bambi. There are tales within her tale. The articles discussing the play indicate that the strory we hear are vignettes from her own life, and this play is her way to "exorcise" her pain through humor and laughter.

Her tale begins, "One upon a time..." and makes allusions to Disney, Sartre and Shakespeare. At the start of the peforamance, there is a disclaimer stating that any resemblance to a character or characters in any Disney film is simply coincidental. Then, "L'enfer c'est les autres" -- Hell is other people, when describing her experience with insouciant racism at the hands of her in-laws. And finally, there is her Sartrian twist on "être ou ne pas être" (to be or not to be). "Sois est tu seras"-- Be and you will be...

Bambi's narrative is well constructed. Using the notion of integration as her "fil conducteur" or central theme, she evolves from her attempt at the ridiculous concept of integration into French society by erasing her identity to integration with her true love in which she doesn't lose herself, but to whom she gives of herself. Yes, Bambi's story, with its humor and tragedies, ends well. She finds herself and true love in the arms of her soul mate--um --Pan Pan (That's Thumper in French).

.

Cool Soul in Paris

I visited my American friends, Rick, Kim and the lovely Greta in Paris this weekend. We also got to hang out with Yann and Caro. As always, a great experience.

Best meal was at L'Os à moelle (3, rue Vasco de Gama, 15e). They have a "menu fixe" meaning you get a six course meal at one price (38 euros).

It was great! But I've yet to have a bad experience anywhere--how can you when there is so much to learn! I've got a tale to tell with my series of pictures of a tiny little 15 month old on her journey to the zoo, but for now, here's my weekend in review.

View the album here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/szzamor/ParisInJuly?authkey=uf6Zvzp1d4Y

Just remember, I'm a French teacher, and the purpose of my pictures is to use thematic vocabulary and to encourage my students to find words to describe some of the scenes. I mean, why else would I take a self-portrait in front of an ATM machine!




I discovered le Musée du Quai Branly whose focus is aboriginal arts from all over the world.

And I got to experience Paris Plage on a saturday afternoon stroll "en famille". Basically, the mayor of Paris has closed off part of the road along the Seine to provide a summer-like, relaxing and convivial atmosphere just along the banks of the Seine. Everyone does not get away from Paris in the summer as they used to. It is a simple and gracious alternative. It's not just sand and sunbathers either! I bet in the Bois de Boulogne there are more topless sunbathers. They set up ropes for climbing like at Camp Weona, there's sand for the kids to make sand castles, a sprinkler / fan system to cool people down. My kids would love that! They have concerts in the evening, sponsored by FNAC Music. Paris Plage begins at the quai near the Pont de Sully and ends at the Louvre. It began on July 19 and will end on August 19 this year. A feast for the eyes--I saw a tai chi demonstration and a cpr training course on the "plage"--and of course, there was a boulodrôme for the pétanque afficionados! Yes!