2013 edition review

On Saturday 14^th September, St-George’s Park was quickly full of people and activity as the heavy clouds were clearing up to let the shows, workshops, walkabouts and stands seize the place.

Most of the festival took place in the park, but part of the action happened around St George’s Theatre: on the plaza, the venue and the next-door brand new café. Just like the park, this cozy place was decorated with the elements created by Buí Bolg — this gave a familiar feel to it as these decorations have been defining the Fête Franglais style in UK from the beginning of summer ; it felt just like home!

Over there was the dedicated location of the Out There Fête Franglais, on Saturday night. Around 6pm, while the park’s activity is dying down, the crowds slowly started to make their way to St-George’s Theatre plaza where fairy lights were being lit.

At 6.30, four companies began in unison.

In the alley between the theatre and the café, something had suddenly been set alight: it was the arch leading to Nejma company’s « Baraque Foraine 6.1 » that had aroused the curiosity of so many passers-by during its installation. A wily master of ceremony drew to him potential guinea pigs that would have the chance to try out a “life changing experience” and he sorted them out in parties. The groups that would have succeeded in the mysterious preliminary tests would have the privilege to enter the « Baraque Foraine 6.1 », the contents of which remained hidden to the rest of us. This open house of the future lasted for three hours and we never saw the line to the caravan dwindle.

On the other side of the café, appearing from thin air, Ramshakclicious weaved to the center of the plaza with their bric-a-brac machine and their Cour des Miracles looks. These two enigmatic characters sniffed the audience with great delight and composed a music from double bass, trumpet and beat box to go along their weird clairvoyant act.

Another kind of act was taking place inside the café where the company Mas y Mas had settled with their Grosse Collection. Along one of the walls, innumerable black boxes were carefully labeled and piled up in rows. Two magicians were informing the customers: on each row, the name of the trick, the name of the magician who invented it and the year of its creation. Each person could choose the box he or she wanted and bring it to the central stage magician who would perform it for your eyes only…

And all around the plaza, a wolf was walking free. Not scary at all, rather pleasant even, this sweet character came from Pickled Image’s puppets collection. He saluted the audience and joined them to watch a bit of a show. Fascinating to the youngest, in only half an hour, the wolf had acquired such success that he had to trick his fans in order to get away!

The sun setting, the spotlights lighting up the place and the public lingering in the café as two technicians were finishing installing the speakers for the next performance. Mark Mark productions’ two variety artists gave way to a band that added the last touch to the open-air café ambiance. An ambiance that was quickly knocked over by the cynical clowns from Tony Clifton Circus who celebrated the end of the outdoor part of the night by throwing a pie in someone’s face... or did they?

The last step of the Fête Franglais Soirée was inside St George’s Theatre, a recently renovated majestic venue that revealed itself hosting the new performance by Tumble Circus. Off-the-wall circus, over-the-top Irish songs, absurd acrobatics and drama: the last Fête Franglais of the season ended on a rich and vigorous tone.

Last but not least, it should be mentioned that the audience were there all through the festival and the Fête Franglais Soirée, despite the early cold. Even though Out There is only six years old, this shows that the festival has already seduced a large part of the local communities and attracted outdoor arts aficionados who did not hesitate to confront the wind and the rain to enjoy the event.

Crowd in front of Christophe Pavia’s performance