Set in motion by the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès, Transforme is a touring festival dedicated to innovative artistic gestures in the performing arts. It offers a programme of fifteen multi-disciplinary works in touch with the contemporary world, developed in collaboration with four partner theatres: the Théâtre de la Cité Internationale in Paris, La Comédie de Clermont-Ferrand, Les SUBS in Lyon, and the Théâtre National de Bretagne. As part of this new format, the Fondation supports artists via a production grant and/or a programme devised with its partners.
Transforme encourages hybrid forms as a way to tackle subjects that concern us all and prefigure the world of tomorrow. This first edition of Transforme therefore offers pieces embodying the fragility of our ecosystems (Anima by Noémie Goudal & Maëlle Poésy), denouncing violence against women (Black Lights by Mathilde Monnier), questioning contemporary feminist trajectories away from essentialism (Violence Forest by Nina Negri & Eva Jospin), humorously evoking hyper-consumerism and its excesses (Les Délivrés by Hélène Iratchet), revisiting a founding moment in the history of women’s struggle for their rights (Reconstitution: Le procès de Bobigny by Émilie Rousset & Maya Boquet) and taking an offbeat look at a universal subject (Rituel 5: La Mort by Émilie Rousset & Louise Hémon).
Transforme also invites us to imagine possible futures, between a technological approach to dance (Préfiguration by NSDOS), celebrating alternative communities (Skatepark by Mette Ingvartsen) and aspiring to new landscapes (ΑΓΡΊΜΙ by Lenio Kaklea).
The festival also embodies a strong desire to open up new perspectives on collective references, from the myth of Pinocchio (Pinocchio(Live) #3 by Alice Laloy) to Philip Roth’s work – his final book, Nemesis (Némésis by Tiphaine Raffier). Elsewhere, and in a wholly different register, scientific concepts are made tangible through spectacular feats of staging (Tout l'univers by Xavier Veilhan, Alexis Bertrand, Jérôme Tuncer and Eve Risser).
Finally, a hybrid approach drives new ways of writing for the stage, from an initiation quest with a touch of the absurd (Préparation pour un miracle by Marc Oosterhoff) to an extreme exploration of joy (Joy Enjoy Joy by Ann Van den Broek), by way of a search for a new harmony between nature and mankind through the exploration of light (Ambre et Pourpre [working title] by Vania Vaneau).
Beyond its stimulating programme of performances, Transforme is also committed to “Going Further” in its relationship with the public, in three ways. The Foundation and its partners are going beyond theatres and into the heart of local communities, with the aim of broadening the contexts of performing artists’ work beyond the sometimes limiting framework of cultural venues. In addition, some performances incorporate accessible formats for disabled people, to promote the creation of new works that are truly inclusive. Last, but not least, “Going Further” places a particular emphasis on young people, who are invited to come together at free, socially engaged and festive events, with the aim of encouraging them to reconnect with the world of the performing arts in a post-pandemic context. Together, these initiatives have the power to transform how each and every one of us views the world.