A brilliant play enters the Comédie-Française repertoire: suicidesa scathing and funny satire of Stalinist Russia, written by author Nicolaï Erdman (1900-1970) in 1928. Eric Ruffthe administrator of Molière’s house, who is also a scenographer, signs the setting of this new creation, which will be seen from Friday October 11, Salle Richelieu, in Paris. For several months, I followed the production of this set from A to Z, from design to installation on set.
January 31st. J − 254. The joys of the model
On a cold winter morning, the Comédie-Française is buzzing with the excitement that accompanies new projects. Under the glass and metal dome, a cocoon in the sky overlooking the Richelieu room, all the trades of the house come together to discover the model of the decor that will be created for. suicidesby Nicolaï Erdman, director Stéphane Varupenne. The show is scheduled to premiere on October 11. “It’s always a very symbolic, very joyful moment”said Eric Ruf. The Comédie-Française administrator, in addition to being an actor and director, is also a renowned set designer and was the one who designed the set for this new production.
“But it’s also an important moment on a much more concrete level, he adds. Everything starts from the model, for the construction of a set, and it has to be as accurate as possible, otherwise we pay later with production delays. » So here is the object, a black box like a dollhouse, which reproduces, in 1/33 scale, the proportions of the stage cage of the Comédie-Française. A variable geometry set with its backdrops and double bottoms, the elements of which Eric Ruf manipulates, especially large pieces of furniture such as matchboxes, with obvious relish.
In the 3D era, he is one of the set designers who continues to make his own models, entirely by hand. He bargains for them in his large general manager’s office, where glue and spray paint, scraps of wood and cardboard, scissors and clippers pile up in one corner. “I need this artisanal, sensitive dimension that fits better with the sets I design, which always have a side of shock. And I have to build the box to measure the space to fill. 3D is still little used for theatrical models: it’s great for technical equations, but not very useful for materials and colors. »
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