IN ENGLISH

 

THE FLYING THEATRE

A little bit of History

 

A loooong time ago, to be precise in 1986, a bus, and not a coach, got a new lease of life when the first Flying Theatre took up residence on the Canebière, entertaining the inhabitants of Marseille, during the Christmas festivities.  This was my way of grounding this wonderful project in the heart of Marseille at a time when the little traditional clay figurines known as “Santons” are to be found on the same street.  

 

Time and the miles soon started to fly by.  The first Flying Theatre wound its way along the country roads of the Alpes de Haute Provence for four years, then took off for Glasgow, the Capital of Culture in 1990; travelled to the Festival of Cartoons in Serres, Switzerland, to the International Theatre Festival in Laquila, Italy and also participated in the Au bonheur des mômes, children’s festival, in Grand Bornand, Haute Savoie.  It went on tour through Rumania and the Hainaut region of northern France.  In Marseille it was the flagship for the Paroles Tissées Project (DSU 2001-2002).  And then there are all the towns and villages, local districts and schools, book festivals to which the first Flying Theatre brought the joy of stories and story telling.  Now it bears the name Flying Theatre No 1 and rests peacefully in the Transport Museum near Aix-en-Provence

 

Drawing on a wealth of experience the new Flying Theatre, born in 2005 is quite different in form: it has a much larger seating capacity, is decorated more like a theatre, and is also much better adapted to longer journeys. 

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“What a strange name for a theatre in a bus!”

“Well yes… however, it was a friend who spontaneously came up with this name and so of course I kept it.  Obviously, this name does not give the full picture but it does convey the essential elements: a show, a flying carpet, put the 2 together, and everyone knows that I’m a story teller…  I mean there you have it in a nutshell its quite simple, self evident, “n’est-ce pas ?”.

 

The whole idea is that I show up with a totally self-contained, fully functioning theatre requiring nothing but a totally ordinary 220v electrical socket.

 

Uncontestably the outside looks exactly like a coach, but inside it’s an exquisite little jewel, with gold fixtures and little lamps, a stage with projectors and of course stories told by Jean Guillon himself.  Seeing as he holds a HGV licence he is totally independent and can come and go at will.  Fifty spectators can marvel at a show in this travelling theatre, such as:Tales of Provence or Colours of India, amongst others.  Although French is his native tongue Jean tells these tales equally well in German, Italian and of course English!

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TALES OF PROVENCE

Traditional Tales                  

I have chosen Jehan de l’Ours from amongst the tales I heard as a child.  This colourful world is bursting at the seams with Provençal sayings that jump out at you from the tales sayings whose beautiful sounds merit a short detour so that you get them.  The Provençal language is born of light and its heroes always come to a happy ending, sometimes with destiny’s helping hand, without ever loosing their dignity.

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The show lasts approximately one hour

 

APPROPRIATE FOR PERSONS 7 YEARS OLD AND OVER.

 

COLOURS OF INDIA

Traditional Tales

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The mystery of Indian Tales comes from the Temples’ shadows, which is where the Gods, from their homes, hold forth with people.  What is so fascinating about this culture is its freedom.  It underpins the preoccupations of the heroes, as it does those of ordinary men and women.  We get to meet a deeply moving spectrum of humanity full of humour. This show mingles real life experiences with age-old legends with some notes popping out of a funny-looking instrument called a gopi used by traveling bards in India.

The show lasts approximately one hour

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APPROPRIATE FOR PEOPLE 7 YEARS OLD AND OVER.

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ALL KINDS OF TALES

Just Tales

 

Like a tree in blossom, ALL KINDS OF TALES spring to life, nourished by the wind, by the audience. Jean spontaneously weaves tales from what comes out of the atmosphere, created through the breathing of the audience. Or, put another way: from what pops up on the spur of the moment : tales of wisdom, stories told by animals, true stories (a story is always true when told), and stories of his own creation

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The show lasts approximately one hour

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APPROPRIATE FOR PEOPLE 7 YEARS OLD AND OVER.

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FOR TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS

PLEASE CONTACT US DIRECTLY :

jeanguillon.conteur@free.fr