Projects are piling up for Cie de la Tong. Is that your driving force?
Yes, we worked for two years on raising awareness about climate change with the Pyrenees National Park. We started by collecting testimonies in 2021 and continued the following year with a presentation campaign, giving carte blanche to Cie des Jolies Choses, Collectif Décomposé, and Tong. These three companies created shows that toured the valleys and beyond. In 2023, we presented ICE des Pyrénées au Pôle Nord, supported by the DRAC and the regional council for creation grants, and co-produced by Le Parvis. That same year, we launched the Journées du Matrimoine (Women's Heritage Days) in the Hautes-Pyrénées with many partners, offering events to highlight women of the past and women of the present. And there's En dessous (Below), which we presented last year at Le Pari.
The support of Le Parvis, the region, and the DRAC: all project accelerators?
Yes. The project with the National Park was a major milestone for Tong. A wonderful project, a great partnership, and we really enjoyed working on it. Partnerships are essential for developing these projects. The region and the DRAC support us. Le Parvis and Jazz à Luz made it possible to create ICE, which is a large-scale production. Since 2024, we've also had the support of the collective of cultural stakeholders in the Hautes-Pyrénées department, which brings together about thirty cultural organizations.
You'll be at the Maynats Festival this Sunday. What show will you be performing?
Sophie Barros and I had already created a first show for very young children called Graine (Seed). We felt we had grasped what we wanted to express, but that we hadn't yet explored where we wanted to go. We really need to talk about this connection between the living and the invisible. So we decided to talk about what lies beneath. That's the name of the show, "Underneath." We talk about what happens down there, what we can't see, the communication that scientists explain. Caroline Laroche created a fantastic set that tells the story of what lies beneath, using the roots of two trees. And we inhabit this "underneath" with wicker animal puppets. We have three performances at Les Maynats. Be aware that it's for very small audiences.
You perform for all ages, from toddlers to adults. Does this happen gradually with each project, or is it a transgenerational vision of theatre?
I want to reach as many people as possible; I make theatre for everyone. That means performing in various venues, but not only. With the National Park, we created promenade performances. The same goes for the word-deliverers. With Charivari, it's a concert for all kinds of venues. Even the forms are cross-disciplinary, incorporating music, poetry, dance, and, for the past two years, circus arts. Reaching everyone also means reaching all ages. And very young children are undoubtedly the most honest audience when it comes to what we're offering, what we want to convey. Either they're captivated and they laugh, they cry, they express themselves. Or it doesn't resonate and they go elsewhere. Things move very quickly; with them, you're immediately in touch with the real thing.
