Description of the project

 

 

Phase 1: French Theater in the Bronx (Summer 2014).

 

During the initial summer intensive workshop in 2014, the Bronx Theater Company at Middle School 331 engaged in daily workshops and rehearsals where they learned about physical comedy, clowning, and satire. They performed scenes from “Three Beggars and a Rich Man” by the French playwright Louis Calaferte, under the direction of Miguel
Borras and Rachel Consuelo Castillo. The play is a variety of absurdist vignettes that satirize the imbalance of power in different relationships. The young people took a humorous yet critical look at societal issues and discussed ways in which they would like to make change in their community. These young artists put on 2 performances in the Bronx for community members, families and
fellow students.

Phase 2: Developing Theater Together through Virtual Exchange (Fall 2014-Summer 2016).

The Project “FROM THE BRONX TO THE SEINE” continues from fall 2014 through Summer 2016 with a two-year long theatre residency and exchange between the Bronx Theater Company and the Théâtre du Bout du Monde’s teen company in Nanterre. These companies will share written work virtually and meet twice per month on Wednesdays tocommunicate, share work, do theater exercises together and even develop material using video teleconferencing and Skype technology. Bronx students will create original vignettes inspired by Calaferte’s work, which will be performed along with the initial pieces.French students will be working on creating original vignettes inspired by their own lives and by Calaferte’s work.

 

Phase 3: Making the Virtual Physical: Bronx Teens Perform in France (Summer 2015) and French Teens go to the Bronx (Summer 2016).

 

In the Summer of 2015, Bronx teens will travel to France from June 29th to July 10th. First, the joint companies will perform in the “Maison de la Musique de Nanterre”, a professional theater in Nanterre. The Bronx teens will perform their version of “Three Beggars and a Rich Man” and the teens from Nanterre will perform their original pieces as well.The two teen companies will spend several days rehearsing their jointly developed pieces, build on their virtual exchange over the year, and will create one collaborative piece bringing together their unique cultural and theatrical sensibilities. Bronx students will also have the opportunity to appreciate French culture, including cultural visits in Paris.Subsequently the joint production will be presented in Paris at the MPAA (“Maison des Pratiques Artistiques Amateurs”). This culminating collaborative series will have truly put young people from a two under-resourced neighborhoods in the U.S and France in the position learn from each other’s theatre traditions and develop collaborative work that impacts the health and welfare of our globalized community. 

 

In its second year, teens in “From the Bronx to the Seine” will participate in a series of theater workshops and perform a piece inspired by Sandra Cisneros’s beloved novel The House on Mango Street. Adapted for our purposes by Tristan Schoumaker, the story centers partially on Esperanza (in Spanish her name means “Hope”), a young adolescent living in a working-class, predominantly Latino neighborhood in Chicago. Her passion for writing serves not only as an outlet, but as a sort of protection and escape from the harsher realities of growing up in her neighborhood.

Thousands of miles away, on the other side of the continent, a young Vete decides to flee a raging war ravaging his country.  His dream? To live in New York: not just anywhere, but in the Bronx. Why there? One night he found an old, dirty book, The House on Mango Street, in a trash can near his house. This was the first time he’d ever been exposed to English and the story, he believes, took place in the Bronx. He identifies with the characters in the book and imagines living their experience.

An Attic Full of Hope (Fr. Un grenier plein d’espoir), is a symbolic representation of the adolescent quest for liberty and the struggles faced by immigrant communities.

As with our performance in 2015, an original musical score will accompany this year’s production. We are thrilled to welcome Nanterre-based composer Laurent Cuniot and his ensemble, “TM+” to be a part of “From the Bronx to the Seine”.

 

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“An Attic Full of Hope” inspired by Sandra Cisneros’s House on Mango Street

Stage Direction Miguel Borras and Rachel Castillo

Script work Tristan Schoumaker

 

July 28, 2016 French part – MPAA/Saint Germain, Paris – 7:30 pm

July 14, 2016 Bilingual Performance – Florence Gould Theater, French Institute (“fi:af”) New York – 2:30 pm and 7:30 pm