• Photo: Jean-Luc Beaujault

  • Photo: Jean-Luc Beaujault

  • Photo: Jean-Luc Beaujault

  • Photo: Jean-Luc Beaujault

  • Photo: Jean-Luc Beaujault

  • Photo: Jean-Luc Beaujault

L’après-midi d’un Foehn – Version 1

Company Non Nova
France

A ballet master magically transforms ordinary plastic bags into an enchanting troupe of prima ballerinas who perform to Debussy’s beautiful, cascading score, Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun.

The brainchild of Phia Ménard, Artistic Director of Company Non Nova, L’après-midi d’un Foehn – Version 1  is performed by dozens of empty carrier bags, propelled upwards on currents of air, and controlled by their ‘ballet master’, performer Jean-Louis Ouvrard.

In 2013, Crying Out Loud presented the piece at Summerhall at the Edinburgh Fringe where it performed to sell out houses. In October 2014, it toured to six regional UK venues as part of Circus Evolution.

Press

  • ‘A rare and thought-provoking performance.’

    Télérama

  • ‘Prepare to be blown away.’

    The New York Times

  • ‘This beautiful but simple production certainly made an impact on the audience members, no matter what their age was.’

    Broadway Baby

  • ‘In a brilliant metaphor of art and the imagination, Company Non Nova make what’s essentially a heap of rubbish into an improbably perfect interpretation of Debussy’s pastoral score.’

    The Guardian

  • ‘It’s simply beautiful, L’après-midi is as full of hope and despair as anything I’ve seen in the past year. ‘

    A Younger Theatre

  • ‘A show we feel has the potential to enter the pantheon of Fringe greatness.’

    The List

  • ‘Defying gravity, and beautiful in its simplicity, this is Company Non Nova’s UK debut, and it is definitely worth catching.’

    The Skinny

  • About

    According to Phia Ménard, Artistic Director of Company Non Nova, what we make of the show, and those colourful carrier bags swirling above our heads looking more and more human, is up to us. She says, ‘There are several ways of responding to this work (…) What interests me is allowing the spectator free rein with their imagination.’

    This piece was originally commissioned by the Natural History Museum of Nantes for the 2008 science fair, Fête des Sciences. The theme that year was ‘movement’ and one of the criteria was that this piece had to be presented within the walls of the museum, a space which rarely houses live performances. The work is part of Phia Ménard’s artistic project I.C.E – Injonglabilité Complémentaire des Elements (Complementary Unjugglability of the Elements) and is linked to two other performances L’après-midi d’un Foehn and Vortex.

  • Why Book This Show

    Key Selling Points
    • Highly imaginative
    • Reputable artist & co-producers
    • Interesting use of puppetry, object theatre
    • Visually arresting

    Key Target Markets
    • Families with children aged 5+
    • Attenders for puppetry, animation and physical theatre
    • People interested in something different