“Touching,” “zany” and “serious”: La Gargouille reinvents La Smala for a “crazy party”

From Wednesday 23 to Saturday 26 July, the Gargouille theatre company is offering an artistic festival in Bergerac focused on interaction with the public for its fifth edition.

The Gargouille Theatre returns with a fifth edition of its summer festival. From Wednesday, July 23 to Saturday, July 26, festival-goers can immerse themselves in a "funfair of arts and culture." On the program: painting, theater, circus, music, improvisation, and more.

"Everyone is running around," confided Gaël Delpech, in charge of theater coordination and promotion, on Friday, July 19. Right now, the 5,000 square meters of the P'tit Chat Noir meadow site in Bergerac are buzzing with activity. The final details are being finalized by the collective and volunteers. On the site, stands, trucks, and caravans of mobile stages have taken up position alongside the legendary yellow Gargoyle big top in a funfair-like atmosphere.

This year, the festival aims to break away from the traditional programming framework by offering its festival-goers a more interactive approach. "The idea is to involve people in this cultural event," explains Gaël Delpech. It's a way for artists, circus performers, and actors to add substance to the performances, which will take place each evening at 9 p.m., after the 7 p.m. meal.

A show with a moving plot informed by the different moments of the day. In the morning, workshops on theatrical writing and the creation of collective frescoes will take place, before giving way to the memory writing stand and all kinds of interventions in the afternoon.

The experimental approach is designed to "bring out all the art forms of the Gargouille collective," the coordinator explains. "We want people to be able to enter into our intimacy." A scenic and artistic moment that is intended to be "touching, surreal, zany, but also serious."