Every week, Midi Libre meets personalities from the cultural world in Milau. Meeting with Elodie Combes, Maëlle Marion and Maëva Poudevigne. They are the founders and artistic directors of the Millavoise Theater Company which shines in France through social issues.
“Our journey begins at the Jean-Vigo high school with Michel Genniaux and Jacques Cohen in the theater section. The first passed on to us what he knew about theater, particularly the Comédia del arte, the second was a Spanish teacher. Both were engaged. I was in class with Maëlle, remembers Elodie Combes. We traveled to Senegal and El Salvador. We played in the street, El Salvador was emerging from the civil war and we played in front of armed soldiers. It was raw, action, political, physical, dynamic theater.” She adds: “Michel marked my life. At 18, I wanted to change the world, Art opened up possibilities.”
Different routes
The trio attends the same theater school, L’oeil du silence directed by Anne Sicco, but at different times. With three other students, Elodie Combes created Le Théâtre Molotof in which she worked for 10 years. “I gave everything, we had the strength of the group, the power of the collective, that’s what I like.” At the same time, Maëlle Marion participated in the creation of La Cie du P’tit Vélo, a rock’n roll circus fanfare from Aveyron. Maëva Poudevigne trained with Marion Aubert, a renowned writer, playwright and actress.
Spotted in 2014 to raise awareness
It was in 2012 that Cie Les Boudeuses was born. “Boudeuses comes from the surname Boudes because Maëlle and Maëva are cousins. They started together,” explains Elodie Combes. She completed the starting duo. Their first show, The bits of them talks about humans, everyday life with a whole bunch of misused objects. Spotted by the Parc des Grands Causses, they were requested in 2014 for a show linked to the 100 eco-gestures. The three of them write it and they play again The green auction. Ecology and gender equality are their two key themes.
Les Boudeuses insult the public, leading it to react but above all to think about the social issues that motivate them. With Everyday storieswhich they have performed throughout France, they make spectators react to the condition of women and sexism, literally taken under the skirt of a woman thanks to an exceptional setting. “In general we set up for a week, we also have a young audience version. It’s a toolbox that we use to debate with different audiences, to make them think. It’s offbeat, farcical, spicy, full of ‘humor”says Elodie Combes.
Provocation to make you think
Themes that drive the trio
“We are very committed to issues of equality, very rebellious. It gives me a lot of fulfillment to play Chantal and Josiane even if sometimes we hear harsh words. Art is used to shake up”, she confides before ending with a message: “Culture is in danger, there is less and less funding. Recently, certain festivals have had to cancel our appearance and this is general in the industry.” La Cie Les Boudeuses is also a touring show, Club stars, created for Les Givrées, a “Loto” described as “a real lottery but crazy, where the rules are not respected and where it’s never the good guys who win”, a blind test animation, territorial projects “where proximity to people is exciting” and a new show currently being written which has the provisional title The sheaf and will deal with news items and their appropriation through the media and social networks.
With Chantal and Josiane protect youElodie and Maëva play two spinsters providing advice on female and male pleasures, consent and gender equality in sexuality. If the characters and the texts make you laugh, the show is a real awareness tool that the Boudeuses have been offering to young high school students as part of the regional “Generation Equality” system for 5 years. Sometimes in provocation, artists address essential questions and do prevention by specifying resource organizations and useful numbers.
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