A few years after graduating from the National School of Theater Arts and Techniques (ENSATT), Lolita Tergémina chose to return to his native landsReunion Island, to found the Sakidi Company in 2005 and carry out unique work: translating and performing the great texts of the classical and contemporary repertoire (Molière, Marivaux, Chekhov, Dario Fo, etc.) in Reunion Creole, a language spoken by almost everyone of the population. The illustration of a desire anchored in her always, that of make theater accessible to audiences who are furthest away from it. Appointed head of National Drama Center of the Indian Ocean – the only one located outside the metropolis, which she knows well having been an associated artist there from 2016 to today – the actress and director will continue towork towards cultural democratizationwhile having at heart to support Reunion creation and of make it shine beyond the borders of the Island. “What really drives me is the development of the theater sector in Reunion Island, which is currently booming,” she confides. In the space of around ten years, many companies have established themselves there, creating significant support needs. Restriction of artistic margins requires, the CDN will certainly not be able to satisfy them all. He will nevertheless engage in delegated production, and will specifically assist two different emerging teams each season. In the medium term, a troupe of permanent actresses and comedians should, moreover, see the light of day.
While maintaining a dominant theaterprogramming will open up to disciplines like dance, music and the circusin particular within the framework of the “mobile brigade of artistic interventions” in the territory. The distance from the metropolis should above all not induce a withdrawal into oneself, collaborations will be driven with other national drama centersin diffusion but also in the implementation of shared creations. This is already the case with the NEST-CDN in Thionville, undoubtedly soon with the Théâtre de Lorient as well as with Les Tréteaux de France. New show from its director, Olivier Letellier, KiLLT will give rise to a Reunion version in which Lolita Tergémina will participate as adapter and director. Of the international productions will also be welcomed, in particular those developed by artists established in the Indian Oceanin Mayotte and Madagascar.
At the center of the new director’s project entitled “Doing Together”, cooperation dynamics will see each other reinforced by the necessity imposed on the CDN to leave its walls for four yearsthe Théâtre du Grand Marché being completely rebuilt from January 2025 until the end of 2028. “During this period, we will co-program with the approved scenes and the national scene The Dryerexplains Lolita Tergémina, who sees in these partnerships a fantastic opportunity to collectively build artistic proposals for the public. “This is important in a restricted territory like ours,” she adds. In order to irrigate it even further, the CDN will rely on le MobilTéata mobile structure designed by scenographer Raymond Sarti and tested since October, which allowsmeet all the residents where they live and of create lasting connections via des infusion residencesof the participatory formsof the practice workshopsof the conferences bringing together poets and musicians… “I would like that at the end of my first mandate, the artistic activity of the national drama center resonates with MobilTéat, that it is identified as a tool for creation and dissemination and “also, why not, akin to a third place,” explains Lolita Tergémina; which will lead into this adventure the three associated companies au CDN – Father Siphon, Ibao et What have you done with my kindness? – as well as Love Diouf, Jean-Laurent Faubourg et Barbara Robert called, within a future Hive of authors, to become “poets and ambassadors of the collective imagination of the territories”.
Finally, among the voices that the National Drama Center of the Indian Ocean wishes to bring forward, there is that of youthwhich could be expressed through several highlights and will be the subject of a writing commission (around adolescence) given to Penda Diouf and an author from Reunion. “Addressing young people is ensure that the label continues to exist tomorrow and defends a committed word,” affirms Lolita Tergémina. In the meantime, the director is tackling the many challenges that present themselves today (scheduled for January 2025, her assumption of duty has been brought forward), encouraged by “a great dynamic around his appointment » from which she legitimately intends to benefit.
