The 24/25 season of the Théâtre des Osses in Givisiez began this Thursday, September 26 with the musical show “Edith, my sister” which explores the life of the singer Édith Piaf. Four shows are on the program for this new season.
La Télé: How does the director of Les Osses feel as she begins this new season?
Anne Schwaller: Very good, finally! We opened the offices on August 19. All the work has been done to put everything in place and we are ready, all that is missing is the public. The audience is still the reason we do all of this.
What does a theater that comes back to life in mid-August for the start of the school year look like?
It doesn’t really change. We leave it, we go elsewhere a little, then we pick it up where we left it. But the summer break is good, it allows you to recharge your batteries. We take a moment to think: “What did we just do, where are we going to go?” An entire season is a considerable investment for the entire team.
How would you describe the first show of the season, Edith, my sister ?
Unifying, interesting, very moving and surprising. We discover the whole beginning of Edith Piaf’s life, her meeting with Yves Montand, and how Edith Piaf started in the street. Everyone thinks they know Édith Piaf, everyone can sing an extract of her songs, but seeing her performed like this in the theater is very moving. Christine Vuilloud takes on the role so well that we almost forget Piaf. She performs the songs with a sensitivity and emotion that touches deeply.
The show is on view until October 13. You chose to give more time to the different pieces on display, why this choice?
Reducing the number of shows allows us to highlight the commitment time, both for the creators and for the public, who has more time to come. The Théâtre des Osses is not a reception theater, we create the majority of the shows on show. Creating a show takes between 6 and 8 weeks, and we don’t want to only perform it 4 times. A show needs to develop, and the audience must have time to come.
You are starting your second season at the Théâtre des Osses. Have you found your feet in Givisiez?
No, and I hope I never find them. The principle of renewing a season is to always awaken curiosity, desire and desire. So I always hope to surprise the audience with what I come up with.
Last season, a lot of it revolved around Figaro. This year, what is the common thread at Osses?
This year, there are four female figures who span the ages. Icons, great figures who allow us to revisit where we come from and where we are going, through their eyes. We start with Édith Piaf, then Camille Claudel, Brigitte Rosset, and finally Claire Zachanassian.
Four women on the program, was this feminine side important to you?
Yes, but I always say: what would Édith Piaf have been without Yves Montand? Camille Claudel without Paul Claudel? Brigitte without Christian Scheidt? And Claire Zachanassian without Dürrenmatt? The idea is not to highlight the feminine, but rather to offer these meetings, these benchmarks. A program is a love poem, a love letter that we send to the spectators. And this year, my love letter is a perspective of women through the centuries.
The full program can be found on the Théâtre des Osses website.
