Khèyam has been thrown out of the inn where he got drunk. A Cruche (Pitcher) of wine then a Rose appear to him. A woman comes in, and he promises to love her; then a second woman – perfectly identical to the first – comes in, and he makes the same promise to her. The two women appear and disappear in turn and they both accuse him of being unfaithful. Then they tell him that he is seeing double because he is drunk. They leave him alone with the Cruche and the Rose.

Not specified

France

Paris

Printed

Wine

Drunkenness

Philosophy

Music

Woman

Love

Double

Lyrical

Philosophical tale

Comical

French

Omar Khayyam

Apparition

Address to the public

Duplication

Object coming to life

Allegory

Le Songe de Khèyam

Khèyam's Dream

A sick man has visions; under the watchful and worried eye of his chambermaid, he talks to himself and believes that he is seeing a woman and a masked ball. A woman dozing in her living room has a fever dream in which she sees the man she has loved. Her daughter, who is looking after her, struggles to bring her back to her senses.

Shadow theatre

Bernus Alexander von

Germany

Munich

Spiritual union

Vision

Separation

Past happiness

Fever

Dream

Melodramatic

Dora Polster and Doris Wimmer, flat figures and scenery for the first scene of Vormitternacht.

German

Schattenspiel der Seele

Sick person

Home-nurse

Daughter

Vormitternacht

Before midnight

Laura, born from Friedrich’s mind, appears piece by piece. Once complete, she arouses Elena’s jealousy and is dismembered again by her. Lime, Emil’s shadow, appears to Elena, who falls in love with him. Friedrich recognises Lime, shoots him and runs away. Emil comes on and charms Elena, who tells him in which direction Lime went. Lime comes back as he chases Elena, then he declares his love to the two women. Friedrich’s loving gaze makes Laura disappear, one bit at a time, until nothing but her foot remains. Friedrich is jealous of Lime, the infidelity of which Laura forgave, and pounces on him with a knife. Emil arrives to reclaim his shadow. Elena, Emil and Lime embrace one another, while Friedrich leaves with Laura’s foot.

Schwitters Kurt

Hanover

Czechia

Prague

Dismembering

Autonomous parts of the body

Love argument

Seduction

Jealousy

Dadaism

Vanguard

Fantastic

Splitting of the body

Schattenspiel

Shadow Play

Whilst she is walking on a beach, Caroline, a puppeteer, tells Filip the story of how she met him twenty years ago. The action of the play goes back to that time, when she was a student and was attending her last drawing class. The teacher gives them a horse, which suddenly bursts in the classroom. Sacha learns that her father is dying. Caroline offers to go with her and so she can say her last goodbye. They drive there with Raphaël, whose girlfriend Marie lives close to their final destination. When they arrive at Marie’s house, Raphaël learns that Marie has been cheating on him with his brother. He still decides to stay with her. Caroline and Sasha leave and arrive in the holiday cottage of one of their classmates. There, Caroline meets Filip. They share a night of love, but at dawn, he is gone. Caroline and Sasha continue their journey where they witness an accident, and they arrive in the village where Sasha’s father lives. Sasha goes to join him whilst Caroline walks along the little streets and meets the villagers. Sasha comes back and announces that her father died. She’s holding a picture of herself when she was a child, and starts talking to the picture and telling it about her passion for puppets. The next day, Sasha and Caroline attend the funeral, and then take a plane to go back home.

Direct Manipulation Bunraku-type Puppetry

Human sized puppet

Charleville-Mézières

Electronic text

Remembrance

Journey

Death

Passion

Future

Unfaithfulness

Grief

Road-movie

Realist

Dramatic

François Cervantès, Attends-moi, Charleville-Mézières, 2010.