Battlefield

Biography

C.I.C.T. – Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord

Company

Description

The show refers to the last chapter of The Mahabharata, when war is over and peace is to be to rebuild.

The Mahabharata is not simply a book, nor a great series of books, it is an immense canvas covering all the aspects of human existence. In it we find all the questions of our lives, in a way that is at once contemporary and urgent. Over many thousands of years the Mahabharata shows us, in an always-unexpected way, how to open our eyes to what reality demands. The Mahabharata speaks of a great war of extermination, which tears apart the Bharata family. On one side there are 5 brothers, the Pandavas, and on the other side their cousins, the Kauravas, the hundred sons of the blind King Dritarashtra. Both sides use terrible weapons of destruction. At the end the Pandavas win. Millions of dead bodies lie on the ground. And now the eldest of the Pandavas – Yudishtira – is compelled to become King. The victory has the bitter taste of defeat. Both Yudishtira and Dritarashtra, the old King, are in deep distress and remorse, questioning their past actions, trying to unravel their own responsibility for the disaster. How, having to live with this terrible massacre, having lost their sons, their families, their allies, will the new King and the old one find an inner peace? The richness of the language of this timeless epic, and its always astonishing stories, allow us to bring to the stage this situation, which, belonging to the past, reflects at the same time the harsh conflicts of today.
Peter Brook and Marie-Hélène Estienne

C.I.C.T. – Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord
Direction and adaptation – Peter Brook, Marie-Hélène Estienne
Text — based on The Mahabharata and Jean-Claude Carrière’s play
Performers — Carole Karemera, Jared McNeill, Ery Nzaramba, Sean O’Callaghan
Music and musician — Toshi Tsuchitori
Costumes — Oria Puppo
Lighting — Philippe Vialatte
Production — International Centre for Theatre Research in Paris – Bouffes du Nord Theatre
Co-production ― Young Vic Theatre, Les Théâtres de la ville de Luxembourg, PARCO Co. Ltd / Tokyo, the Grotowski Institute, Singapore Repertory Theatre, Le Théâtre de Liège, C.I.R.T., Attiki Cultural Society, Le Cercle des Partenaires des Bouffes du Nord
Premiere — 15 September 2015

Carole Karemera is an actress, musician, choreographer and director, with a degree in dramatic arts and jazz from the Royal Conservatory, Brussels. She played in different theatre, dance and cinema productions, internationally acclaimed by the public and critics alike. Carole Karemera is also an activist for the freedom of expression and creation in Africa.

Jared McNeill trained at Fordham University at Lincoln Center in New York City where, in 2008, he graduated with a degree in theater and visual arts. He played various roles in Peter Brook’s 11 and 12 and had recently the role of Maphikela in The Suit.

Ery Nzaramba trained as an actor at the Royal Conservatory, Brussels, and at the Birmingham School of Acting. Battlefield is Ery’s second production with the Bouffes du Nord Theatre, following two world tours of The Suit, also directed by Peter Brook and Marie-Hélène Estienne.

Sean O’Callaghan trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) under Hugh Cruttwell. He was in the first new play produced at the new Globe Theatre with Augustine’s Oak and Abi Morgan’s play Tender at the Hampstead Theatre. He spent the early part of his career working with Peter Cheeseman at the New Vic Theatre in Stoke-on-Trent where he continues to work and he is now based in Stoke-on-Trent. Sean O’Callaghan has been in productions throughout the United Kingdom. He has won or been nominated for a number of theatre awards including The Irish Times Theatre Awards and the Scottish Critics Awards.

In Battlefield, one experiences the simplicity, purity, like the surfacing of a profound exploration of the work and what lies beyond.

Arielle Heliot | Le Figaro
The play Battlefield, performed at the Bouffes du Nord by four visionary actors and an inspired musician, is a miracle of wisdom and poetry.

Philippe Chevilley | Les Echos