In “DIAPHANIE or the Memoirs of a Fairy” the transparency of the cellophane takes us to the marvellous world of fairy tales. The crystal palace, the glass slipper, the diaphanous dresses, they all are effortlessly illustrated and it only takes a snap of the fingers for the spotlights to throw warmth and cold, water and fire upon them. In osmosis with the water and light scenery that she created, Barbara Mélois transposes with delight the story of Cinderella. Charles Perrault had made a universal story out of it, she turns it into a “Cinéma paradisiaque” playing with the contrasts of poetry and modernity. “DIAPHANIE or the Memoirs of a Fairy” draws its inspiration from various sources: from Baudelaire’s “Le don des fées” (Le Spleen de Paris) to “The story of a young doctor” by Boulgakov, not to forget the most obvious of them all, Charles Perrault’s “Cinderella or the small glass slipper”.

A show for all ages 6 and up
Written and performed by Barbara Mélois
Lighting control: Alain Petitmangin
Sound design: Thierry Grimbard
Tricks and machinery: Bernard Mélois
Duration: 50 minutes
This show can be played in French, English, Italian, Spanish or German

After adhesive tape, aluminum foil, and cellophane, Barbara Mélois turns her attention to the humblest of all: toilet paper. She unravels the fragile thread of an exceptional, everyday life, both trivial and sublime, multifaceted and monochrome: the thread of a vie en rose.

A show for all ages 7 and up
Written and interpreted by Barbara Mélois
Lighting control: Alain Petitmangin
Sounddesign : Thierry Grimbard
Tricks and machinery: Bernard Mélois
In the role of the virtual character “his master’s voice”: Philippe Rodriguez Jorda (French and English), Javier Swedski (Spanish)
Duration: 50 minutes
This show can be played in French, English, Italian, Spanish or German

An impromptu performance punctuated by musical notes, the whisper of the wind, and the rustling of petals.

Experience duration: The time of a song
Design and performance: Barbara Mélois
Without words.

“A tightrope dancer had so arranged her life that, as long as she kept working in the same circus, she never came down from her trapeze by night or day”. Variation on First Sorrow, in The Penal Colony and other stories, Franz Kafka. 15 minutes in the life of a tightrope dancer whose Ariadne thread would be a roll of sellotape. “Is it a life” draws its inspiration from the figure of the 18th century pitchman and from the short story “First Sorrow” by Franz Kafka.

Poetical material theater
Duration: 15 minutes
A show for all ages 6 and up
Français
A short form imagined and performed by par Barbara Mélois

In “Aluminiatures”, your common kitchen foil is turned into a baroque barrel organ, a theatre, a stage curtain, a fleeting actor, the dazzle of a thousand lights at a party, dancing and singing to offer a seducing mirror for the audience to look at. Let the visual fest begin!

A show for all ages 7 and up
Written and performed by Barbara Mélois
In the role of Gaston, sandwich man, tamer of wild beasts and sounds : Antoine Lenoir
In the role of Gontran, welcoming the public with accordion, flonflons, drums and lights: Floran Théaut
Duration : 50 minutes
This show can be played in French, English, Italian, Spanish or German

In her previous shows, Barbara Mélois explored the possibilities of very different materials, such as adhesive ribbons, aluminium, plastic or toilet paper. This creation focuses on the bright colours of gift wrapping paper and ribbons. “Bolduc” leads us, through festivals and seasons, into a multi-coloured universe, like so many chapters marking out our lives. We blow out candles, we unwrap parcels, we cut out, we fold, we rip, we crumple, we rumple, all in a hectic dance, we laugh, we cry … we live.

A show for audiences of 7 years old and over
Created for the World Festival of Puppet Theatres
Written and interpreted by Barbara Mélois
Length of the show: 50 minutes
Light and sound engineer: Alain Petitmangin
Assistant director: Clémentine Mélois
Friendly advice on puppetry and manipulation: Philippe Rodriguez Jorda — Authority on parties: Javier Swedsky — Sound recordings: Barbara Mélois and Thierry Grimbard — “Tricks of the trade” and machinery: Bernard Mélois

“An orgy of multi-coloured wrapping paper and gift ribbon, flying in all directions, a disorder from which appear and disappear, as if by magic, marvelous little characters made of ribbon. All this with very poetic reflection on the passing of time .”

L’Union/L’Ardennais

“Barbara Mélois, in love with substances

Libération

“Barbara Mélois is an explorer”

La Scène

“Each of her shows is a jewel presented in a precious case”

L’Express

Throughout her performances, Barbara Mélois weaves an imaginary world where everyday life becomes a fairy tale, where the most prosaic materials are transformed into chimeras, monsters, and wonders.

In an open space evoking the corporate world, a fiction is created to the rhythm of document shredders. Scraps of crumpled paper spill out of office bins. Manipulated, torn and illuminated, they are transformed before the audience’s eyes into a unique and fantastical cosmogony populated by ephemeral paper heroes. Through these derisory and sublime adventures, Barbara Mélois summons Don Quixote, the Yeti, Scarlett Johansson, and Little Red Riding Hood, joyfully intertwining classical and popular cultures. Alone on stage, she becomes a demiurge, leading us on a poetic and illusory journey made of shadows and paper.

A show for all ages 7 and up – Running time: 55 minutes.
Written and performed by Barbara Mélois.
Puppets, writing, acting, and puppeteering: Barbara Mélois.
Assistant director: Clémentine Mélois.
Technical director: Estelle Baggs.
Tricks and machinery: Bernard Mélois.
Voice-over and accomplice: Philippe Rodriguez Jorda.

Installation immersive, sonore et visuelle.

Création IN Festival Mondial des Théâtres de Marionnettes

samedi 16 et dimanche 17 septembre 2023

Compagnie Atipik et Maxence Moulin

“Qui sommes-vous ?” interroge notre présence à l’Autre, à son altérité dans ce qu’elle a de mystérieux, d’attirant et d’effrayant à la fois. Ces petites formes pour quelques spectateurs s’apparentent à des miniatures, des boîtes à histoires, des valises à personnes ; elles questionnent l’intimité de chacun et plongent les spectateurs dans un univers onirique où tous les sens sont mobilisés. Chaque installation propose une immersion décuplée par nos sensations. Munis d’un casque audio, les spectateurs devront s’approcher d’une boîte pour y découvrir l’univers qui les attend.

Barbara Mélois artiste associée -Compagnie Atipik Maxence Moulin
Conception et écriture : Élisabeth Algisi, M. Moulin
Jeu : É. Algisi, Barbara Mélois, M. Moulin
Construction B. Mélois, M. Moulin
Scénographie : Ionah Melin
Création Sonore : Philippe Billoin