Sylvia • Fabrice Murgia An Pierlé Quartet • Théâtre National

Leading figure of a feminism which is more poetic than engaged, Sylvia Plath fought all her life between her desire to fulfill the injunctions of the American dream of the 50’s and 60’s (perfect wife and mother) and her irrepressible need to write. It was a deep contradiction that led to her death. From this complex life she produced a novel; The Bell Jar, which was published in 1963.

To reflect on this female voice, Fabrice Murgia has conceived a whirling piece which shows us the many layers and the interior conflicts of the American poet. On stage, nine actors play Sylvia at different key moments in her life. A depressive young woman making her first suicide attempt at 20. A young woman drunk on the power of words. An author victim of male domination.

The originality of this show is its melding of theatre and film. Throughout the performance the spectator watches in real time the creation of a film projected on a big screen. The camera work created with virtuosity by Juliette Van Dormael highlights the tearing apart of the artist, films with close-ups of the actors’ faces the emotions of the character, and follows the movements of the different Sylvias from the beginning to the end. A sensitive portrait enriched by the sublime melancholy of the musical compositions of Belgian author/composer An Pierlé.

Création Studio Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles

Cast

Direction
Fabrice Murgia

With
Valérie Bauchau
Clara Bonnet
Alizée Gaye
Vanessa Compagnucci
Vinora Epp
Léone François
Magali Pinglaut
Ariane Rousseau
Scarlet Tummers

Concept
Cie ARTARA

Assistant director
Justine Lequette

Assistant director and interprétation
Maxime Glaude

Assistant director
Shana Lellouch

Research and dramaturgy assistance
Cécile Michel

Scenography
Rudy Sabounghi

Scenography assistant
Julien Soulier

Dressmaker
Marie-Hélène Balau

Decoration
Aurélie Borremans

Assistant decoration
Valérie Perin

Interns decoration
Léa Pelletier
Sophie Hazebrouck

Sets construction and costumes
Ateliers du Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles

Video and lighting creation and Artara technical direction
ARTARA Giacinto Caponio

Lighting director
Emily Brassier

Music creation
An Pierlé
Koen Gisen
Hendrik Lasure
Casper Van De Velde

Technical Director
Giacinto Caponio

Sound operator
Bob Hermans

Direction photo
Juliette Van Dormael

Assistant camera
Giacinto Caponio

Video direction
Dimitri Petrovic

Camera
Aurélie Leporcq

Stage manager
Hugues Girard

Stage director
Sandrine Nicaise
Olivier Vincent
Marc Defrise

Production
Jenifer Rodriguez

Co-production
Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles, Théâtre de Namur, Central - La Louvière, MARS - Mons Arts de la Scène, Fondation Mons2025 dans la cadre de la Biennale 2018-2019, Printemps des Comédiens – Montpellier, Comédie de SaintEtienne - Centre Dramatique National, Théâtre Jean-Vilar de Vitry-sur-Scène, Le Carreau - Scène Nationale de Forbach et de l’Est mosellan, Théâtres en Dracénie – Draguignan, la Coop asbl, Shelter Prod

With the support of
Taxshelter.be, ING et du tax-shelter du gouvernement fédéral belge, DIESE # Rhône Alpes

Special thanks to
Lionel Demilier, Monique Grignard, Leonore Rodriguez, Eve Scorneaux et Yvon Van Lancker

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