Printed
55 pages
Ceci n'est pas un nez
The play is a reworking of a previous text written by the same author, entitled Petit homme de bois (Little Wooden Man), which itself was inspired by Carlo Collodi's Adventures of Pinocchio. It was created after a writing and a semi-staging workshop organized by the Marmaille theatre (Limoges, France) with children aged from 7 to 13, and directed by Eugène Durif and Karelle Prugnaud (from the Envers du décor theatre company). Contrary to Collodi's novel, Pinocchio decides here to remain a puppet .
A child learns to live in the cruel world of humans.
Bouffefeu (Eatfire), the director of the theatre, announces that he is going to tell a rewritten version of Pinocchio’s adventures. Just as he is about to start carving a piece of wood, Père (Father) sees it morph into a puppet. He adopts it as his own child and, even though he is poor, gives it all he can. Instead of going to school, Pinocchio, accompanied by Grillon (Cricket), sells everything he owns to enter the funfair. Bouffefeu, the owner of the funfair theatre, takes pity on Pinocchio’s poverty and gives him five coins. They decide to head home and meet Chat (Cat) and Renard (Fox) on the way. Pinocchio shows them his money. Then, Chat and Renard dress up try to steal his money but Pinocchio and Grillon manage to escape and hide from them. On the advice of Fée Bleue (Blue Fairy), the allegory of Pinocchio’s mother, they hit the road. They encounter Chat and Renard again, who make Pinocchio believe that if he if he sows his money, a tree will grow out of it and will produce new coins. Pinocchio is gullible; he believes them and complies.
At another funfair, the Bonimenteur (Barker) changes him into a donkey, but he manages to escape. In the stomach of a sea monster, Pinocchio and Grillon find Père again. The three of them manage to get back onto dry land. Back to the Field of Miracles where Pinocchio buried his money, Pinocchio discovers trees laden with gold coins. He meets the Fée Bleue who lets him decide between becoming a real little boy or remaining a puppet. He chooses to remain a puppet so that he can always be a child in his father’s eyes.
First performance
National Scene of Dieppe, production: Karelle Prugnaud (L'Envers du décor theatre company).
Publications and translations
Eugène Durif, Ceci n'est pas un nez. Arles: Actes Sud-Papiers / Heyoka jeunesse, 2016.