The opposite of curiosity is indifference. What happens when we really pay attention to the plural forms of human experience? When we decide to explore our inner and outer selves, confronting our styles, pushing through our differences and difficulties… what happens: a transformative process. The body and the city, both battlefields.

Moun Fou gives voice to the “voiceless,” those often excluded from public debate, in a festive and poetic show at the heart of the city. Each person’s skills and knowledge are mobilised for this work. The show is based on actors’ personal stories, ritual songs, liberating dances, and attempts to shift from the intimate to the universal.

This “parliament” of 17 actors and musicians, takes the audience on a journey through various actor-spectator set-ups (bifrontal, parade, cabaret, walking), in public spaces and venues with strong evocative power. In Martigues, for example, the show played in the town hall and its adjoining spaces.

Our team, initially supported by the Festival de Marseille, first immersed itself in Marseille’s non-profit mental health organisations and support networks for the extremely vulnerable. Working closely with social workers and peers, we then created experimental shows in public spaces for invited and spontaneous audiences.

After these experimentations, a team was formed, bringing together professional and non-professional actors from very diverse backgrounds. The work was first shown as part of the 2020 Marseille Festival and proved to be an exceptional experience. The show is now included in the French ONDA program.

This show, created with people from diverse backgrounds, requires special care and attention. It is a fragile work, bringing its team together is rare and complex, so it has never been intended for wider distribution.

Distribution
  • Mise en scène : Julien Marchaisseau / Direction d’acteur : Wilda Philippe / Chorégraphe : Anne-Marie Van alias « Nach » / Scénographie Adrien Maufay / Costumes Stéphanie Bohnert / Création musicale : Cyril Fayard, Kathryn Fletcher, Vincent Salagnac, Alexandra Satger / Réalisation vidéos Moun Fou Résonances : Melio Lannuzel.
  • Acteurs : Aziza Boussafeur, Mireille Brun, France Davin, Pierrick De Salvert, Mohamed Diop, Mohamed Djellal, Cyril Fayard, Kathryn Fletcher, Anne-Marie Launay, Donata Lelleri, Alexandra Le Pichouron, Pierre Mougne, Isabelle Perrouin, Edmond Rotger, Vincent Salagnac, Alexandra Satger, Blandine Voineau
  • Technique : Sébastien Castelain, Matthias Combes, Rémy Gadilhe, Thomas Hua, Adrien Maufay, Jérémy Perrouin, Youri Réale, Matthieu Semman
  • Production : Cie Rara Woulib Coproduction Festival de Marseille ; Lieux Publics, Centre national de création en espace public (Marseille) Fondation Abbé Pierre : La Garance, scène nationale de Cavaillon In Situ, Plateforme européenne de création en espace public BE PART – Beyond Participation : un projet européen pour la co-création avec les citoyens avec le soutien du programme Europe créative de l’Union européenne Manifesta 13 Les Parallèles du Sud reçoit le soutien de la Région Sud JUST – Justice and Union toward Social Transformation La Friche Belle de Mai (Marseille)
  • En collaboration avec ARPSYDEMIO, Association de Recherche en Psychiatrie et en Epidémiologie (Marseille), et le Centre Hospitalier Edouard Toulouse, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Freedom Festival (Royaume-Uni)
Creation process