Tsjechov on a skateboard. ‘The gull’ in teenage jargon. And a sound-track of Russian folk with touches of metal. Whatever. Can you visualise it ? Tina Satter and her company The Straddle get away with it in a performance (according to the New York Times) “with a fantastic sense of the aesthetic”. The New York author-director Tina Satter is well-known for her experimental and innovative approach. Tsjechov ‘s classic is the starting point for her performance but she mixes it with all sorts of other elements, such as pieces from Tsjechov’s correspondence, texts about his work, his own perverse sense of humour and contemporary language written by Satter herself. “It is as if you put The Gull into a snowball and shake it vigorously”, she says herself. Tina Satter looks at the dark sides, the beauty and the history of this iconic piece. The Gull seen through different, absolutely contemporary eyes. “That piece actually is about artists – writers and wannabe writers, actors and wannabe actors. Even the secondary characters have endless discussions about the plays they have seen”, says Tina Satter. What a resemblance with the theatre scene in New York....thought the director. And she immediately incorporated this parallel in her performance. Seagull (Thinking of You) casts a personal view on theatre, on failure and on the universal pursuit of love.

Free buss from:
* Valenciennes (21/11) at 18h45 from la Place Poternes