The Earth being in a near-apocalyptic state after several wars, the survivors seek universal reconciliation and want to create a world in which everyone will be happy, albeit identical and average. Pierrot arrives; the song he is singing about the Moon stirs up a desire for military conquest. When they land on the Moon, the Terriens (Earthlings) are so well received that they do not dare speak of their plan of conquering the Moon; instead, they forsake war once and for all. Mutual visits are planned: the Lunariens (a made-up word for “residents of the Moon”) will come to the next Chicago Fair.

Shadow theatre

Not specified

Utrillo Miquel

France

Paris

États-Unis

Chicago

Printed summary

Science fiction

Peace

Happiness

Monotony

Uniformity

Boredom

Journey

Poetry

Party

Procession

Visit

Universal Exposition

Social harmony

Moon

Conquest of space

Invention

Satirical

Programme of the Théâtre des ombres parisiennes, Columbian World's Fair, Chicago, 1893.

French

Pierrot

Inhabitants on the moon

Opposite worlds

Plot twist

Song

La Conquête de la lune

The Conquest of the Moon

Addressing the Great Saint Bernard Pass directly, the narrator tells the story of the region, from the first hunters to the passage of Bonaparte’s armies. The silence in the peaks of the mountains is broken by the arrival of the first nomadic people, then by the clamour of the wars which have shaped the history of Europe (Hannibal, the Roman emperor; Attila; Marignano). Saint Bernard founded a refuge and a monastic order in the Pass, to rescue lost travellers. The retreat of the Swiss army against Bonaparte’s troops introduces the final tableau, which celebrates Peace and Charity.

Switzerland

Geneva

Printed

Charity

Shelter

Mountain

Alps

Heroism

Monk

Nature

Epic

Lyrical

Le Saint-Bernard (front cover)

Hunter

Warrior

Hannibal

Horse

Elephant

Julius Caesar

Attila

Saint Bernard

Sculptor monk

Napoleon

Apotheosis

Addressed story

Battlefield scene

Le Saint-Bernard

The Saint-Bernard

Crows live in abundance on the corpses of humans who keep killing each other in war. The Fanes people, thousands of years ago, lived in peace and harmony with nature, thanks to a special bond with the marmots. Power was passed from mother to daughter, until Princess Dolasilla's mother was forced to break the old rules by abdicating and marrying the king of a foreign land who worshipped the god of war.From then on, under male control, the people of Fanes are at war.In the depths of the mountain, two little siblings, Aylan and Hudea, remain hidden. They wear a mouse costume to disguise themselves, because soldiers do not shoot mice. But the food in the cave is running out and the female ancestors of the Fanes people, their only hope of salvation, seem to be unresponsive. The king has finally decided to send his daughter Dolasilla, the rightful successor to the throne, to the battlefield: he wants to get rid of her so as not to lose his power. Aylan decides to separate from his sister and go out of the mountain to help Dolasilla in the battle, but they are both killed, along with many other Fanes. After the battle, the crows discuss the cruel nature of the human soul, while they eat the corpse of a child.

Costume puppet

Animatronic

Cuscunà Marta

Italy

Monfalcone

Udine

Electronic text

Ancestors

Groundhog

Woman

Feminism

Slaughter

Dolomites (Italy; massif)

Fanes

Myth

Love

Power

Hidden child

Child

Tragic

Pathetic

Fantasy

Italian

Raven

King

Address to the public

Political allegory

Off-stage noise

Tragic conflict

Disguise

Invisible character

Foresight

Story

Video

Off-stage voice

Murder on stage

Il canto della caduta

Le chant de la chute

To please Teresina, Pulcinella promised never to fight again, so he threw his stick at the moon and his mask turned blue. However, the peasants' situation worsens because Pulcinella no longer defends them against the devil Belzebù, who holds them to ransom for the benefit of Death. In a dreamlike scene, various Pulcinellas pop out of Pulcinella's head and make him think. Finally, Pulcinella decides to go to the Moon, riding on the dog Chantal, to take back his stick and fight the "Red Harvester", i.e. Death.