AFTER the successful run of ‘Two Johnnies live upstairs’ in 2011 that put the venue 134 back on the Fringe map, the Institut français is programming a stellar season of theatre, cabaret and children’s shows for this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
With a sharp selection of professional French, Walloon and Scottish productions the old Georgian townhouse on Randolph Crescent stages the best of the French connection at the Fringe in 2012!
The Institute’s theatre line-up includes Elephant man by Compagnie du Fomenteur.
After his successful debut at the Fringe in Two Johnnies live upstairs, Benoit Hattet returns as Joseph C Merrick, the famous British character better known as Elephant Man.
In this intimate and interactive show, Hattet plays a very sensitive and human person, supported by his nurse (Isabelle Bouvrain).
Created in French and successfully touring in France, the show will be performed in English in this UK premiere.
The Walloon company, Oh my God, presents It’s so nice a kaleidoscopic historical drama performed in French (with English supertitles) in which two spokeswomen draw the portraits of Mary Stuart Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I Queen of England, questioning our world of political intrigues and influence games.
Theatre highlights also include ROCK by Ateliers du Plateau, a musical show based on Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain’s acclaimed punk piece, Please Kill Me, and created for the official programme of the Avignon Festival in 2010.
Performing in English, actor, Pierre Baux, and cellist, Vincent Courtois, give life to 70s rock’n’roll New York through dialogues, memories, dreams and digressions collected by the two American writers for an on-stage oral history of punk haunted by Jim Morrison, Patti Smith, Allen Ginsberg, Iggy Pop, Philippe Marcadé and many other rock icons
After playing with fluffy bunnies in Two Johnnies live upstairs in 2011, the French puppeteers of the Rennes-based collective, Aïe Aïe Aïe, bring back their nuttiness to the Fringe with Ma biche et mon lapin, a new prop-theatre show starring a ‘biche’ (hind) and a ‘lapin’ (rabbit, again).
In this silent vaudeville set on a table, the mixed duet manipulates objects and knits bucolic, playful or tragic short love stories with four hands and plenty of creativity and ingenuity.
On the cabaret front, Fringe regular and singer Christine Bovill teams up with French dancer, Agathe Girard (Heels over Head Dance Theatre), for Jacques Brel: in song and dance a new production bringing a fresh, modern, exciting and unique interpretation of Brel’s work through multimedia, music and dance.
The Institut’s cabaret programme also features the eat-and-watch musical show Morceaux de choix by Justine Curatolo and Elisa Bellanger.
With a programme of songs presented as a restaurant menu and the audience picking their favourite pieces in a list of jazz standards, traditional melodies, opera arias and crooning songs, the singer and her pianist are performing a different show every night!
To offer the full French cabaret experience, a French meal with wine is included and served during the show.
Kids are not forgotten with the return of the French puppet Lapin and his friends in a new summery adventure Lapin wants ice cream by the French Scotland-based company, Le Petit Monde.
Tania Czajka peppers her sweet puppetry and interactive show with carefully-chosen and repeated French keywords, subtly introducing kids to French.
A fun way for them to learn without knowing!
Finally, Asylon Theatre in association with Heels over Head Dance Theatre present the world premiere of Adventures of the Little Prince, a family show giving life to the magical and poetic world of Saint-Exupery’s most famous character through dance and storytelling.
The full programme for the Institut francais d’Ecosse Fringe 2012 is on sale at 0131 225 5366
Follow us on Twitter for exclusive updates: @ifecosse and Facebook for competition and ticket offers: www.facebook.com/InstitutFrancaisEcosse
For more information, interview requests and images, please contact Vanessa Bismuth: pr@ifecosse.org.uk/ 0131 225 5366.
Institut français d’Ecosse/ Venue 134 – 13 Randolph Crescent, Edinburgh EH3 7TT. Box Office: 0131 225 53 66 Mon – Fri 9.30 am – 10.00 pm/ Saturday 9.30 am – 1.00 pm. Unfortunately the venue is not accessible to wheelchair users. Assistant dogs welcome.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
About the Institut français d’Ecosse:
The Institut français d’Ecosse promotes French language and culture in Scotland, by providing French courses and organising events (film screenings, talks, exhibitions, concerts, etc). It also aims to encourage cross-cultural exchange between France and Scotland, in cooperation with Scottish Francophile institutions.
After a year of cultural exchanges between Brittany and Scotland in 2011, the Institute surfs on the Olympics wave in 2012, giving a sporting flavour to its cultural programme entitled, ‘La Tête et les Jambes’.
www.ifecosse.org.uk/head-and-legs
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Contact: Vanessa Bismuth
Phone: 0131 225 5366
Email: pr@ifecosse.org.uk
Website: http://www.ifecosse.org.uk/Fringe-2012
