Press Release: James Thierree returns to Sadler's Wells this May

[Jan McNulty]

James Thierrée / Compagnie du Hanneton

The Toad Knew
Sadler’s Wells, EC1R 4TN
Wednesday 3 - Sunday 7 May 2017
Performances: Wednesday – Saturday at 7.30pm; Sunday at 4pm
Tickets: £12 - £38
Ticket Office: 020 7863 8000 or www.sadlerswells.com 

One of Europe’s most inventive artists James Thierrée returns to Sadler’s Wells from Wednesday 3 - Sunday 7 May with his latest production The Toad Knew, a seamless mix of mechanical marvels, music, surreal humour and acrobatic finesse.

The Toad Knew features six characters who emerge into a strange netherworld of steaming water, animalistic machines and sinister objects. A woman transforms into a lizard, a piano plays itself and plates miraculously appear and disappear. In the middle of it all, Thierrée works his magic with the aid of a servant, only to have it undone by a man beast. It all happens underneath a huge, glowing structure connected to the stage with a thick cord of knotted wires. The Toad Knew emanates from a dream world of buried fears and encapsulates Thierrée’s creative process.

Thierrée is renowned for conjuring worlds of endless invention and fantasy and inviting imaginations to soar. The creation of The Toad Knew began with the construction of the set, which took six months as the technical team experimented with each of Thierrée’s ideas. Thierrée’s original and only vision was to have an ominous structure floating above the stage which would have a talismanic quality. Only after the construction period was complete could the three month rehearsal period with the performers begin, with each of them exploring the space and, in turn, influencing the stage design further. 

An acrobat, magician, actor, clown and musician Thierrée is acknowledged as one of the world’s greatest and most creative contemporary circus performers. Perhaps this is inevitable coming from an impressive linage of artists that includes his great-grandfather Eugene O’Neill and his parents French circus creators Jean-Baptiste Thierrée and Victoria Chaplin – part of the Chaplin dynasty.

He made his stage debut aged four in 1978, appearing alongside his older sister, Aurélia, in his parents’ company  Le Cirque Imaginaire. Thierrée  toured with the circus throughout his childhood and teenage years. When his parents’ circus settled in Paris following long spells at Les Halles the company began to play theatres rather than circus tents, and so began Thierree’s interest in theatre performance.

In 1998 he formed Compagnie du Hanneton, named after his parents’ childhood nickname for him ‘le hanneton’, French for a particular type of iridescent beetle because he was always jumping around. This informal international ensemble includes both circus and dance artists and the most recent productions include Au Revoir Parapluie (2007), Raoul (2009) and Tabac Rouge (2014).

Thierrée was recently awarded the César (France’s national film award) for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for French film Chocolat, about the famous clown Chocolat, who in 1886 became the first black circus artist in France. Thierrée plays Chocolat’s stage partner Footit. The film followed the pair as they become a famous duo in Paris Belle Epoque. For Chocolat, Thierrée was commissioned to recreate the numbers that  Footit and Chocolat performed.

A Sadler’s Wells Co-production with Crying Out Loud 

L’Institut français du Royaume-Uni and En Scène! supports Compagnie du Hanneton’s visit to the UK with The Toad Knew


Listing information:
James Thierrée / Compagnie du Hanneton
The Toad Knew
Sadler’s Wells, EC1R 4TN
Wednesday 3 - Sunday 7 May
Performances: Wednesday – Saturday at 7.30pm; Sunday at 4pm
Tickets: £12 - £38
Ticket Office: 020 7863 8000 or www.sadlerswells.com  

Notes to Editors:

Additional tour dates:
James Thierrée / Compagnie du Hanneton
The Toad Knew
The Lowry, Pier 8, Salford Quays, M50 3AZ
Wednesday 10 – Thursday 11 May
Performances at 7.30pm
Tickets: £12 - £21.50
Ticket Office: 0843 208 6010 or the lowry.com/circus

PRODUCTION LA COMPAGNIE DU HANNETON/JUNEBUG
Co-production with Théâtre de Carouge-Atelier de Genève; Célestins-Théâtre de Lyon, Radiant-Bellevue; Théâtre du Rond-Point, Paris; Théâtre de la Ville, Paris; Théâtre Royal de Namur; La Coursive Scène Nationale de La Rochelle; Sadler’s Wells, London (in collaboration with Crying Out Loud); L’Arc Scène Nationale Le Creusot; Opéra de Massy; Odyssud Blagnac; Théâtre de Villefranche sur Saône; La Comédie Clermont Ferrand; Théâtre Sénart Scène Nationale; Edinburgh International Festival; Espace Jean Legendre - Théâtre de Compiègne, Scène Nationale de l’Oise en prefiguration - with the support of the Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication -  D.G.C.A. Compagnie du Hanneton is supported by the Ministère de la Culture and funded by the Fondation BNP Paribas.

ABOUT SADLER’S WELLS
Sadler's Wells is a world-leading dance house, committed to producing, commissioning and presenting new works and to bringing the best international and UK dance to London and worldwide audiences. Under the Artistic Directorship of Alistair Spalding, the theatre’s acclaimed year-round programme spans dance of every kind, from contemporary to flamenco, Bollywood to ballet, salsa to street dance and tango to tap.

Since 2005, it has helped to bring over 130 new dance works to the stage and its award-winning commissions and collaborative productions regularly tour internationally. Sadler’s Wells supports 16 Associate Artists, three Resident Companies, an Associate Company and three International Associate Companies. It also nurtures the next generation of talent through research and development, running the National Youth Dance Company and a range of programmes including Wild Card, New Wave Associates, Open Art Surgery and Summer University.

Located in Islington, north London, the current theatre is the sixth to have stood on the site since it was first built by Richard Sadler in 1683. The venue has played an illustrious role in the history of theatre ever since, with The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and English National Opera all having started at Sadler’s Wells. Sadler’s Wells is an Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation and currently receives approximately 9% of its revenue from Arts Council England. 

ABOUT CRYING OUT LOUD
Crying Out Loud are pioneering creative producers, nurturing artists working in contemporary visual theatre often in the fields of circus, physical theatre and installation. Crying Out Loud programmes memorable events for audiences of all ages at festivals, in venues and for site specific performance in the UK. The Company is a network leader and advocates for artists and contemporary performance by making connections, initiating collaborations and creating opportunities in the UK and Europe.