Faust, Charles Gounod

Gounod's Faust depicts a man's confrontation with the world, but above all with himself. Our stage space, dotted with shimmering fabrics, has been designed to reflect this quest for self-redefinition — a quest that pushes the protagonist to sign a pact with the Devil. We have chosen to turn the omnipresent chorus into a variation of the faces and possible silhouettes of the protagonists, while modulating the space thanks to its very presence. Two rows of women may therefore represent the walls of a house, a line of men embody the bars of a prison or the axis of a Christian cross. Inspired by Munch's ghostly paintings, we have sought to create a world both oppressive and seductive, a world that can accommodate Marguerite's madness as much as her jewels. Variations on the same costume, color, or gesture: nuances that aim to echo Faust's game of hide-and-seek with a vision of truth that he never manages to fully grasp. He fumbles in the darkness — a Homer or an Oedipus blinded by his own ignorance.

Émilie Rault, January 2015