Memories of Sarajevo

It would start like a musical: the twelve signatories of the Maastricht Treaty announced to great applause the creation the European Union. A month later, Bosnia-Herzegovina declared its independence despite the fierce opposition of the Serbian Democratic Party: the civil war broke out. April 1992, we are now in Sarajevo, besiege by the Serbian nationalist forces supported by the Yugoslav Federal Army. The inhabitants organized the defense of their town and reshaped their lives according to a single criterion: survival. It took three rough winters and two terrorist attacks for the international community to be involved in a military intervention and to put an end to the siege and war in Bosnia.

 

To this raw reality echoes a mythical tale: the one of Europe, daughter of Agenor, king of Phoenicia (situated in current Lebanon). Kidnapped by Zeus, metamorphosed in a bull for the occasion, she “looks towards the fleeing shore” and will sing for us “Sarajevo, my love”, a tribute and tomb for the inhabitants of the capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

 

Created in 2017

Duration: 2h30

 

Conception and direction Julie Bertin & Jade Herbulot – The Birgit Ensemble

 

With Eléonore Arnaud, Lou Chauvain / Elissa Alloula, Pauline Deshons, Pierre Duprat, Anna Fournier, Kevin Garnichat, Lazare Herson-Macarel, Timothée Lepeltier / Edouard Penaud, Elsa Guedj / Hélène Rencurel, Antonin Bonnet-Fadinard, Estelle Meyer, Morgane Nairaud / Zoé Fauconnet, Loïc Riewer, Marie Sambourg

 

Direction assistant Margaux Eskenazi

Scenography Camille Duchemin

Sound design Lucas Lelièvre

Music, arrangements Grégoire Letouvet

Lyrics Romain Maron

Original soundtrack musicians Marc-Antoine Perrio (Guitars), Nicolas Charlier (Drums), Mathias Levy and Stéphanie Moraly (Violins), Caroline Donin (Viola), Patrick Langot (Cello)

Lights design Grégoire de Lafond assisted by Hugo Fleurance

Lighting engineer Grégoire de Lafond and Hugo Fleurance

Video Pierre Nouvel

Video engineer Johan Lescure, Thomas Rathier and Théo Lavirotte

Images Mathieu Lourdel with Pauline Clément and Emilien Diard-Detoeuf

Cartography Jacques Enaudeau

Costumes Camille Aït-Allouache

Stage engineer François Rey

General engineer Marco Benigno

 

Production The Birgit Ensemble
Coproduction Avignon Festival, MC2: Grenoble, Scène Nationale d’Aubusson, Théâtre des Quartiers d’Ivry – CDN du Val-de-Marne, La Pop, Le POC – Alfortville, La Comédie de Caen – CDN de Normandie, Le TU Nantes, Le Théâtre de Châtillon, Théâtre Gérard Philipe de Champigny-sur-Marne, Les Plateaux Sauvages, Co-pilot

With the support of the DRAC Île-de-France, the Val-de-Marne Departmental Council as part of the creation assistance, the SPEDIDAM as part of the creation and soundtrack assistance, the SACD Fund Musique de scène, the SACD Fund Theatre and the Île-de-France Region as part of the creation creation assistance.

With the artistic participation of the Jeune Théâtre National.

The Birgit Ensemble is supported by the Val-de-Marne Departmental Council.
 
Thanks to Claire Boulanger, Pierre Courtin, Bernard Jacquemart, Milomir Kovacevic, Rémy Ourdan, Jean Saslawski, Nermina Zildzo, Damir Zisko, Imana Sokolovic, Le Théâtre des Quartiers d’Ivry – CDN du Val-de-Marne, La MC93 – Bobigny.
The sets were built at Atelier Devineau – Blanc-Mesnil