PLAN B?

It's an expression mainly used in crime or action films. We switch to plan B when plan A hasn't worked. All that really appeals to me: build a plan and provide for a different one, all in the knowledge that if that one also fails, there will be no ‘plan C’. The characters in 'Plan B' are in this state of mind; of action, hope and fragility. They are alone with their plans...

GROUND PLAN?

'Plan B' is the second show in a trilogy that brings together juggling and acrobatics in a limited space. In 'IJK', the work on the cube and volume revealed the rhythm and musicality of juggling, offering a new perception of this discipline: instead of making it visible and tackling it from its visual side, we wanted to make it audible. With 'Plan B', this is the plan we are exploring, which puts set design at the centre of our work. This particular geometry imposes a certain link to movement and acrobatics, a tenuous link to the laws of physics. We aim to invest it as much as possible, and to find out what dreams, qualities and pitfalls are hidden behind this dialogue with gravity.

PLAN-SÉQUENCE?

The decomposition of movement brings us back to film and the photo, with the work of Muybridge or Marey as an example (who, incidentally, were very interested in acrobatics). For film, I could cite Méliès, who used the artifices of film to create magic and illusion. 'Plan B' is a nod to him, except that with us, artifice does not disappear behind an illusion; on the contrary, it is very much about highlighting the device, underlining its simplicity, the poverty of technical means – retaining only its poetic content. Different parts of the show are inspired by film, citing Keaton for example, who is still the reference for actors, in that his work consisted of appropriating several artistic practices. We love this approach; summoning music, acrobatics, juggling and dance to the stage as ways to carry out our work as actors.

PLAN OF ATTACK?

My role was specifically to come up with the main approaches, or axes, for 'Plan B', and then to bring together the artistic team. I then had the idea of offering the production to Phil Soltanoff, who wasn't used to this type or project. It's teamwork; the actors are multi-skilled. Light and sound have a strong presence. Everyone helps with the production, starting with the initial constraints, especially those relating to set design. This produced an artistic aspect, which Phil Soltanoff used to develop his direction.

Source : Interview with Aurélien Bory by Stéphane Boitel (Journal du Théâtre Garonne, January 2003

After studies in physics, Aurélien Bory worked in the field of architectural acoustics before dedicating himself to theatre arts.
He has been the director of compagnie 111, located in Toulouse, since  2000 and he works with many collaborators. He develops physical theatre –  using space and the body – and creates multi-faceted works crossing  boundaries between various disciplines – circus, dance, music and visual  arts. From La trilogie sur l’espace (Space trilogy), and more specifically Plan B, famed for the collaboration with the New-Yorker Phil Soltanoff, to Je me souviens Le Ciel est loin la terre aussi (I remember Heaven is far away the Earth as well, 2019) created with Mladen Materic, not to mention Espæce (2016) shown at the 70th Avignon Festival or even aSH  (2018) created at the Montpellier Dance festival for the dancer  Shantala Shivaligappa, Compagnie 111 now has a repertoire of seventeen  shows, presented at large festivals and on the most prestigious  international stages. Aurélien Bory did the stage direction and  scenography for La disparition du paysage (The disappearance of the landscape),  a new text by Jean-Philippe Toussaint personified by Denis Podalydès  from autumn 2021 in Paris. In 2022, Aurélien Bory directed and  scenographied Dafne, opera-madrigal inspired by a work from  Heinrich Schütz, collaborating with the vocal group Les Cris de Paris –  Geoffroy Jourdain. The show is created at the Athénée Théâtre  Louis-Jouvet in Paris.
The remarkable care that Aurélien Bory takes over the scenography can also be seen in the sets he designs, which are often connected to a space, like in Spectacula produced in 2015 for the Théâtre  Graslin in Nantes, TROBO in 2019 for the Cité des Sciences et de  l’Industrie in Paris, and Garonne in 2020 for the Théâtre Garonne in  Toulouse.
Aurélien Bory also stages operas. Orpheus and Eurydice in 2018 and Parsifal in 2020 are some of his productions.

Source: Company 111 's website

More information : cie111.com

Born in 1977, Fabien Plasson is a video director specialized in the field of performing arts (dance , music, etc).

During his studies at the Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts de Lyon (joined in 1995) Fabien discovered video art. He was trained by various video artists (Joel Bartoloméo Pascal Nottoli , Eric Duyckaerts , etc).
He first experimented with the creation of installations and cinematic objects.

From 2001 to 2011, he was in charge of Ginger & Fred video Bar’s programming at La Maison de la Danse in Lyon. He discovered the choreographic field and the importance of this medium in the dissemination, mediation and pedagogical approach to dance alongside Charles Picq, who was a brilliant video director and the director of the video department at that time.

Today, Fabien Plasson is the video director at La Maison de la Danse and in charge of the video section of Numeridanse.tv, an online international  video library, and continues his creative activities, making videos of concerts, performances and also creating video sets for live performances.

Sources: Maison de la Danse ; Fabien Plasson website

More information: fabione.fr