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The Sensemaker (2017 - 2018)

 

 

Have you ever waited on the phone for way too long, with a repetitive muzak playing on a loop and an irritating robotic voice telling you endlessly that your request is being processed?
Yes, you have... And so does the protagonist of ‘The Sensemaker’ until she is gradually stretched beyond her limits.

Mixing theatre and dance, this dystopian battle between a woman and an answering machine questions the effects of new technologies on our lives, as well as the laborious administrative procedures of our bureaucratic systems.

'The Sensemaker' (French title: 'Après le bip sonore') is a bureaucratic dystopia with a cynical tone. Created at first as a 30 minutes short piece for the Théâtre de l'Abri in Geneva in 2017, it has then been recreated as a 60 min piece for the Voilà!Europe Festival in London in 2018.

 

The Sensemaker is available on streaming platform Dramox. To watch it online, click on the button below!

 

Choreography, text and interpretation - Elsa Couvreur

Music - Tony Renis, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Angel Haze and so many others

Light creation - Marc Gaillard

Duration - short version 25 min / long version 60 min

Pictures - Sébastien Moitrot

English translation - Erin O'Reilly

Italian translation - Valentina Holecz

German translation - Sophie Ammann

Ukrainian translation - Viktoriya Fedoriv

Previously:

Short version:

- 7 and 8 April 2017, Théâtre de l'ABRI, Geneva

- 18 May 2017, La Coulou Bâtiment de la Cigüe, Geneva

- 15 June 2017, Point-Favre, Chêne-Bourg GE

- 30 June 2017, Quai du Mont Blanc, Tour de la Rade en 80 jours, Geneva

- 5 July 2017, BE Festival, Birmingham UK

- 28 juillet 2017, Ile Rousseau, Tour de la Rade en 80 jours, Geneva

- 26 April 2018, Point Favre, Chêne-Bourg GE

- 4 May 2018, Fête de la Danse , Spazio Morel, Lugano TI

- 5 May 2018, Fête de la Danse, Temple du Bas, Rue du Temple-Neuf, Neuchâtel NE

- 5 May 2018, Fête de la Danse, Centre de Culture ABC, La Chaux-de-Fonds NE

- 6 May 2018, Fête de la Danse, Théâtre Benno Besson, Yverdon-les-Bains VD

- 26 May 2018, Nuit des Musées, La Parfumerie GE

- 22 June 2018, Fête de la Musique, Scène Danse GE

- 1st July 2018, Fringe Preview Showcase, Lancaster UK

- 3 to 11 August 2018, Zoo Venues, Aviary, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, UK

- 13 April 2019 (20 min excerpt) - Bourse Suisse aux Spectacles, Lachensaal, KKTHUN, Thun CH

- 6 November 2019, European Cabaret Competition Niederstätter surPrize, Cabaret-Théâtre Carambolage, Bolzano, Italy

- 17 July 2020, Micro-soirées du TBB #1, Théâtre Benno Besson, Yverdon-les-Bains VD

- 7 August 2020, Micro-soirées du TBB #4, Théâtre Benno Besson, Yverdon-les-Bains VD

- 29 January 2022, Plate-forme AWA - As We Are, Kinneksbond Centre Culturel Mamer, Luxembourg

- 1 and 2 June 2022, "Danse pour l'Ukraine", Théâtre de l'Etincelle, Geneva

- 2 June 2023,  ACT Festival, Bilbao, Spain

- 21 June 2024, Scène danse, Fête de la Musique Geneva

Long version

- 7 November 2018, Voila!Europe Festival, The Cockpit, London UK

- 17 March 2019 - The Cockpit, London UK

- 10 and 11 May 2019, FinFringe, Åbo Svenska Teater, Turku, Finland

- 9 July 2019, Centre Culturel Ken Saro Wiwa, Harbour of Dreams, Paris France

- 2 to 26 August 2019 (except on Wednesdays 7, 14 and 21), Edinburgh Festival Fringe, ZOO Venues (Playground 1)

- 29, 30 and 31 August 2019, Gothenburg Festival Fringe, Frilagret, Gothenburg, Sweden

- 5 and 6 September 2019, Bångska Våningen, STOFF X Stockholm Fringe, Sweden

- 7 September 2019, Lahti Fringe Festival, Vaahterasali, Lahti Finland

- 18 September 2019, Théâtre du Pommier, Neuchâtel CH

- 22 September 2019, Istanbul Festival Fringe, Turkey

- 19 October 2019, Air GogolFest, Vinnytsia, Ukraine

- 14, 15 and 16 February 2020, Fisico Festival, Alba, Italy

- 12 March 2020, Warwick Arts Centre, Best of BE Tour, Coventry, UK

- 2 October 2020, Dni GogolFest, Dnipro, Ukraine

- 28 May 2021, Startup GogolFest, Mariupol, Ukraine

- 28 May to 30 June 2021, Fisico Festival Alba, Italie - Virtual Ultra, ONLINE

- 11 to 15 June 2021, Rialto Theatre, Brighton Fringe Festival UK

- 24 October 2021, Teater im Burgbachkeller, Zug CH

- 2 to 6 November 2021, Prague Fringe Festival CZ

- 15 November 2021, Enable Us Festival, University of Sheffield, UK

- 23 to 28 November 2021, Théâtre de la Parfumerie, Geneva CH

- 8, 9 and 10 September 2022, Gothenburg Fringe Festival, Sweden

- 21, 22 and 23 October 2022, Colchester Fringe Festival, UK

- 18 November 2022, Phönix Theater, Steckborn, CH

- 31 January to 5 February 2023, State of Play, FRINGE WORLD, Perth, Australia

- 16, 17 and 18 February 2023, Summer at Q, Q Theatre, Auckland, New Zealand

- 28 February and 1st March 2023, Fringe at the Gryphon, Wellington Fringe, New Zealand

- 4 to 18 March 2023, Adelaide Town Hall, Adelaide Fringe Festival, Australia

- 23 to 25 March 2023, Athenaeum Theatre, Dunedin Fringe Festival, New Zealand

- 30 March to 1 April 2023, Red Door Theatre, Nelson Fringe Festival, New Zealand

- 28 and 30 June 2023, Reykjavik Fringe Festival, Mengi, Reykjavik, Iceland

- 19 November 2023, Tanzfestival Winterthur, Theater am Gleis, Winterthur CH

- 24 November 2023, Schauwerk Theater, Schaffhouse CH

- 26, 27, 28 and 29 September 2024, Isolacasateatro, Milano OFF, Italy

- 17, 18, 19 and 20 October 2024, Palazzo Scammacca, Catania OFF, Italy

- 24, 25, 26 and 27 October 2024, Zō Centro Culture Contemporanee, Catania OFF, Italy

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'It left me feeling  deeply affected and pondering everything that I had seen and heard. I hope and trust that ultimately it will leave you feeling as optimistic as I do about the power of art as a force for change.' - Nicholas Collett

'An astonishing, disturbing shapeshifting sliver of genius' - Simon Jenner

 

'A brilliant piece of theatre. It was like watching an episode of 'Black Mirror' live on stage.'

★★★★★

WEST END PENGUINS

'A journey from darkly comic to deeply discomfiting. Captivating'

★★★★★

FRINGE BISCUIT
 

'A remarkable piece of absurdist exposition in movement, mime and word'

★★★★

BROADWAY BABY

'An ideal metaphor for our interconnected world'

★★★★

THE STAGE

'Playfully subversive'

★★★★

BRITISH THEATRE GUIDE

'There's plenty of comedy here, but also some necessary darkness’

★★★★
FRINGE GURU

'Elsa Couvreur is an insightful artist, who demonstrates utmost dedication to her work'

★★★★

EVERYTHING THEATRE

'Stars an impressive and athletic Elsa Couvreur'

PLAYS TO SEE

‘Daring and witty to boot’

★★★★

A YOUNGER THEATRE

‘Insidiously Kafka-esque’

★★★★

EDFEST MAGAZINE

'“The Sensemaker” зірвав бурхливі овації від глядачів. Всі аплодували стоячи впродовж декількох хвилин.'

VEЖA

 

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'An ironic, humorous and subversive hour of dance and physical theatre. She’s a performer who just looks into the auditorium and holds an audience spellbound.' 

★★★★★ 

SEESAW MAG PERTH

'Dès son entrée en scène jusqu’à sa sortie, le jeu est teinté d’humour et on ne peut s’empêcher de sourire et de se reconnaître en elle'

R.E.E.L

'Both a dream and a nightmare.... An absolute masterstroke'

★★★★

THE PEG REVIEW

'Few use their time so inventively'

★★★★

THE SCOTSMAN

'Slick, fun and packed with charisma'

★★★★

EDINBURGH 49+3

'A remarkable solo performance'

★★★★

SEEING DANCE

'Ingenious, subversive and scurrilous'

★★★½

THE REVIEWS HUB

'A hilariously, excruciatingly relatable look at the fears and frustrations of modern life'

WHAT'S ON

'An excellent performance, a funny and triumphant start to the evening"

BIRMINGHAM REVIEW

"Einer hinreissenden Tanzperformance"

BZ/THUNER TAGBLATT

'Amusing and thought-provoking'

FEST MAG

'Accessible, relatable, charming and funny.  I loved it'

BUM ON A SEAT

‘A really interesting piece; being able to bring something so deep across with only the minimal is quite a feat and a very clever response’

GET THE CHANCE

‘The humour at the start was a brilliant juxtaposition to the more horrifying elements at the end’

THREE WEEKS

'Tarkkailuun, yksityisyyden menettämiseen ja teknisiin häiriötekijöihin altistumisessa on omat riskinsä. Esitys tarjoaa mainiota asennetta, jolla vastata näihin kriittisiin kohtiin.''

TURUN SANOMAT

More articles about "The Sensemaker" in the  Press section

 

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