Quartet-Vision d’Europe clearly gives a human and sensitive touch to the new frame of tomorow Europe

For most of us, Europe is first a continent. But beyond the geographical aspect, there is still a shy European feeling. Differences between those countries are as many treasures as they are inequalities, both political and economical ; this is why we still can’t really consider Europe as a unity.

A second edition and a promising future

The idea of the Quartet project was born two years ago, after a long gestation in the head of Laurent Maindon, director of the French company Théatre du Rictus in Nantes. These two years first of all enable to dig out associate theatres : the Gardonyi Geza d’Eger Theatre (Hungary) and the National Serbian Theatre in Novi Sad.

Cheb is the second edition of the festival. A first meeting took place in Novi Sad in October 2008 and two other stops are planned, one in Hungary, the other one in Ancenis for the closure in March 2010.

The appointment always take place in two key moments : in one hand the theatricals from every associate country, and in the other hand the Master Class mornings, when the four companies meet to play together. P. Jonas, Z. Bartos, L. Maindon and A. Milosavljevic are the theatre directors and heads of the different associate theatres. They guide the actors in the accomplishment of this new way of stage play.

Step by step

What is special about the Master Class is the relax atmosphere, “coffee and cigarettes”, where artists and playwrights meet. No timetable or productivity pressure to disrupt the creative effervescence. This privileged context gives everybody the opportunity to share their words, ideas or emotions. Everyone’s stage play confronts, opposes and ends with a harmonious melt, and a beautiful range of emotions is blown away from the stage.

Every participant offers different ideas, perceptions often related to the different school they come from. Everyone can share their point of view and their desires. According to P. Jonas, Hungarian playwright, this experience is totally new and very full. The construction happens more slowly, but the finality will be based on all these experiences. Everyone can do his bit for the structure. It is a human confrontation which unites the actors and participants. And it is this same feeling of humanity, they wish before everything to see emanate from the stage, to touch the most people in the audience possible.

Quartet-Vision d’Europe is a human confrontation which unites the actors and participants

A certain vision of Europe

Reflection of the wills and convictions of many contemporary artists, the Quartet festival offers a concrete direction for art at a european and international scale. But Christine Carmona and Dominique Dahéron, respectively public relation manager from the Théâtre du Rictus and head of the Quartier Libre théâtre from Ancenis, both vouch for the difficulties they met, whether it is technical or logistics, in the implementation of the project. Each theatre works differently. We can take the example of intermittent and permanent workers. When the Serbian Theatre moves, it is no less than 50 members who are conscripted, tells Christine Carmona. Compromises were found and accepted, as one goes along, by the different companies, to enable the transit of the festival. And for the greater pleasure, the audience was also present.

For A. Milosavljevic, head of the Novi Sad theatre, theater and art in general, are medium that cannot be ignored, for the construction of a united Europe. He is very aware of the utopian aspect of it. But the certainty of the big impact of art on minds, feeds on his hopes and dreams to see Serbia be part of the European Union one day. For its part, Z. Bartos, director at the Cheb Theatre, shows the incredible situation of Cheb, located 5 minutes away from the old Iron Curtain. He rejoices to see this small city and its theatre internationally vibrating, for a week.

The Quartet festival, undeniably gives a human and sensitive touch to the new frame of tomorrow’s Europe.

Text and pictures : Anne Lienhart

Translation : Juliane Rougemont ; proofreading : Karen Diard

More information

The website of the QuARTtet Vision d’Europe festival

Le théâtre du Rictus

Le théâtre Quartier Libre à Ancenis