Does the beginning of 2025 mark a significant acceleration for you, with glowing press and a reputation reaching the general public?
Yes, the show with Camille Cottin allowed another audience, the private sector, who were less familiar, to discover the work I do. But I would say that I've still received a fair amount of support since the creation of my plays; there hasn't really been a lull since 2016. So it's true that at the moment, visibility is greater with the play with Camille Cottin and my other touring plays. It remains to be seen whether I benefit from this reputation. It depends on the state of finances in the cultural sector, the commitment of the state and elected officials, which allows me to work on projects. Or not.
How did this "meeting" with Camille Cottin come about?
Camille wanted to adapt Katharina Volckmer's book. We discussed together the form in which we would adapt the novel to create a show. We did the adaptation together to be as close as possible to our desires and what the text told us both.
Did the venue, Peter Brook's Les Bouffes du Nord and its Empty Space, influence your work?
The identity of the venue is important for Nadia Lauro, who designed the set, and for my direction. We chose to work within a scenographic device represented by an enormous 30-meter curtain that drapes across the floor. The curtain simply blends into the identity of the venue and its faded walls. Together, this increases the ability to make the show visible.
While waiting for the Rendez-vous, you'll be at the Parvis on Tuesday for a performance of Caligula, which you're directing and performing. Was it current events that brought you to the conjunction of power and chaos?
It wasn't necessarily current events that brought me there. I know that Camus removes the masks of politicians to better reveal them. With my character of Caligula, we can think of Macron. With Trump being more dictator than president, the play also resonates very strongly. But what interested me was that, with his writing, Camus reveals the Caligula that everyone carries within themselves. Political or not.
You told us a lot about your childhood, your adolescence in Tarbes, from Adishatz to Saga. Is it over? Have you settled your accounts with that past?
No, I don't think you ever settle your accounts with your personal history. What happens is that in all plays, there's still something of the order of autofiction. Even in Caligula, even in Camille Cottin's. This is something I've often heard: there's a lot of me in the form, in the way of working with popular culture, the question of identity. It's no coincidence either that in Camus or Katarina Volckmer, the question of identity is always present. And inevitably, it transpires in each play.
What are your projects now?
I'm working on a play with Dimitri Doré, a young actor who also performs Caligula. I'm working with him on adoption, on his desire to write autofiction. I'm still dealing with identity, but with his own story. And there's "Sinister and Festive" with Jean-Luc Verna. We've already done a cabaret in a bar in Gennevilliers with Jean-Luc and Julien Bienaimé at the piano, with a repertoire ranging from chanson to pop to classical. With a pop aesthetic for me and punk for Jean-Luc. And now we're working on a theater format for April at the Théâtre de l'Atelier in Paris. The challenge is to find a stage language, a different form of connection with the audience than the physical proximity of the cabaret format. Breaking the fourth wall.
Breaking the fourth wall is a habit for you!
Yes, it's true... Even in Caligula.
3 dates with Jonathan Capdevielle at the Parvis
He'll be at the Parvis on Tuesday for Camus' Caligula
, which he's directing and performing. A meeting of power and chaos that's more relevant than ever, whether in France or the United States. It's already almost sold out, but as always, there may be a few seats available that evening. On April 8, he returns as director with Le rendez-vous
with Camille Cottin, which debuted at the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord a few weeks ago. It's also sold out.
And he's moved to the Parvis on May 27 with Sinistre et festive
, which he's performing with Jean-Luc Verna at the Théâtre de l'Atelier from April 5 to June 8. And that too is sold out.
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