Madness in the workshop

Tof Théâtre

Belgium

Figure theatre, 18 minutes, nonverbal

A table. Complete chaos. Tools, utensils, brushes and cardboard boxes. In the middle, the body of a puppet lacking legs and, even more problematically, its head. This is the beginning of eighteen crazy minutes of a non-stop emergency. What parts of our bodies do we need to be complete? Eighteen minutes in which the puppet rebels against its puppet masters and bullies them, trying to take fate into its own hands. A fierce struggle for survival: schizophrenic, wild, trashy, leaving behind a massacre of shredded polystyrene and shredded cardboard.

The Tof Théâtre was founded in 1986 on the initiative of Alain Moreau while developing the show Le Tour du Bloc. The “miniature realism” of the Tof ensemble allows the audience to see the puppeteers, although the puppets are usually at the centre of the production. Often without words, the shows are intended for a wide audience and are sometimes staged especially for street theatre. Since 2001, the Tof Théâtre has moved to an old cinema in Genappe (near Brussels) and converted it into a small theatre with space for 100 spectators.

Supported by Minister for the French-speaking Community of Belgium, the General Direction for Culture and General Services for the Performing Arts

Conception, script, staging, scenography, puppets Alain Moreau Creative staff Sarah Demarthe, Emilie Plazolles Performance, animation chantier frigolite Sandrine Hooge, Yannick Duret Technician Matthieu Chemin Musical creation Max Vandervorst Lighting design Dimitri Joukovsky Creation, collaboration on the scenario Gilbert Epron, Dimitri Joukovsky Assistance scenography Sarah Demarthe Construction of the structure for the set Margaud Carpentiers Photos Guto Muniz, Melisa Stein