An adaptation of a short work by Swiss writer Robert Walser, L'Étang throws light upon the intricate workings of a filial love story, where the ten roles are played by two actresses—Adèle Haenel and Julie Shanahan.
Known for tackling taboo issues in her work, director Gisèle Vienne has created a sensorial and emotional rollercoaster that examines the conventions of the family and blurs the boundaries between interiority and exteriority.
“a transfixing performance . . . my mind was as stimulated as it’s been in months.” Laura Cappelle, The New York Times
An adaptation of a short play by Swiss writer Robert Walser (1878-1956), about a child who pretends to drown in order to test his mother's love, Gisèle Vienne's work casts the ten roles of Walser's original work between two virtuosic actors: Adele Haenel and Julie Shanahan. The work utilizes contrasts of story and movement, an unsettling soundscape, and the incredible gifts of the two actors to create multiple levels of perception of reality and temporality, interiority and exteriority, and magnify the family trauma central to Walser's original piece. Delayed by COVID, L'Étang premiered in Lausanne in May 2021, and has since played to sold-out audiences and rave reviews throughout Europe.
About the Artists
Gisèle Vienne is a Franco-Austrian artist, choreographer, and director. She studied puppeteering at École supérieure nationale des arts de la marionnette in Charleville-Mézières. Her work is regularly performed in Europe, Asia, and America (Crowd at BAM last October), she has exhibited her photographs in art museums around the world, and has published two books: Jerk / Through Their Tears, in collaboration with Dennis Cooper, Peter Rehberg, and Jonathan Capdevielle (2011), and 40 Portraits 2003-2008, in collaboration with Dennis Cooper and Pierre Dourthe (2012).
Adèle Haenel rose to early prominence in French film. She has won the César Award twice, in 2014 for her supporting role in Suzanne, and in 2015 for best actress in Love at First Fight. In 2022, she announced that she was stepping away from film acting to focus on theater work. In 2019 she began working with Gisèle Vienne on this production of L'Étang. She is a prominent face of the #MeToo movement in France.
A native of Australia, Julie Shanahan graduated from Adelaide’s Centre for Performing Arts in 1981. She joined Pina Bausch’s Tanztheater Wuppertal in 1988 and continues to dance in the company and serve as a rehearsal director. She also works as a restager of the Tanztheater repertoire for the Pina Bausch Foundation and recently restaged The Rite of Spring with dancers from across Africa, a collaboration between the Foundation and the École des Sables in Senegal.
Credits
Based on Der Teich (The Pond) by Robert Walser Design, staging, stage design and work, Gisèle Vienne Performed by, Adèle Haenel and Julie Shanahan Lights, Yves Godin Sound design, Adrien Michel Musical director, Stephen F. O'Malley Original music, Stephen F. O'Malley & François J. Bonnet
Produced by Companie DACM-Gisèle Vienne Co-produced by Théâtre Nanterre-Amandiers – CDN; National Theater of Brittany (Rennes); Link, Strasbourg Theater – European Stage; Holland Festival (Amsterdam); Transfabrik Fund – Franco-German fund for performing arts; André Malraux Cultural Center (Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy); Geneva Comedy; La Filature, National Stage (Mulhouse); Le Manège, national stage – Reims; MC2: Grenoble – House of Culture; Ruhrtriennale – Festival der Künste (Bochum); TANDEM National scene (Douai-Arras); Kaserne Basel; International Summer Festival Kampnagel (Hamburg); Garonne Theater – European Scene (Toulouse); CCN2 – National Choreographic Center of Grenoble; BIT Theatergarasjen (Bergen); Black Box teater (Oslo); Autumn Festival in Paris. With support from CND Center national de la danse (Pantin); La Colline – national theater (Paris), Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne
The performances of L’étang by Gisèle Vienne are part of Albertine Dance Season and received support from Villa Albertine.
Date & Time
Oct 13 - 14, 2023
Venue Details
PS21 Open-Air Pavilion Theater
2980 New York 66 Chatham, New York 12037
PS21: Performance Spaces for the 21st Century
Support PS21
Even in the best of times, ticket sales cover only a fraction of PS21’s costs; therefore, we rely on you to continue supporting our endeavors. Please consider making a donation today.
About PS21
Established in Chatham, NY in 2006, PS21 supports innovative performing artists and creators and introduces their work to a broader audience, while also providing the surrounding region with opportunities for arts engagement regardless of economic status, cultural background, and age.
Five acres of PS21's 100+ acres are developed; the rest are meadows and woodlands. Situated near the theater are the Dance Barn, a rehearsal and performance venue, and two artists’ residences accommodating sixteen individuals. The PS21 property is also host to the Chatham Farm Animal Rescue. PS21's new theater and rural campus are important resources for both visiting artists and the community, optimized for the public's enjoyment and to encourage citizen expression and participation.
The 350-seat theater is a state-of-the-art, green facility offering resident makers and performers the tools and flexibility for successful innovation and collaboration in the development of sophisticated multi-media work. Few other US facilities are able to provide this level of technical support. PS21 operates year-round, supporting performances by and residencies for dancers, choreographers, musicians, composers, actors and creators. The summer season is PS21's public highlight, during which a full calendar of performances is augmented with a myriad of events and workshops, many of which are free of charge and involve community collaboration with the gifted artists in residence.
PHOTOGRAPHY PS21 will take photos of this event for use in social media and on our website. The photos sometimes include audiences. Your attendance at this performance indicates you consent to appear in PS21 photography. If you would prefer not to appear in any photos, please let a staff member know, and we will be glad to accommodate your request.
Share 
