RADIO 2000 OPUS 2 – LA COMPAGNIE DU GRAND HÔTEL
STREET THEATER, PUBLIC PASSING THROUGH A CARAVAN
Magical show and object theater
ARTISTIC TEAM / PRODUCTION
Artists: Jonas Thomas et Philippe Carles
Automaton control and musical arrangements: Gabriel Westphal
Electronic programming: Mathieu Lescure
Set design: Sophie Arlotto (Le hangar « O » Gorilles) & Jonas Thomas
Prop and automaton creation: Jonas Thomas
Illusion design: Philippe Carles et Jonas Thomas
Production: Jour de Fête / Caroline Constantin
Distribution: Jour de Fête / Anaïs Jaillet
THE COMPANY
As a self-taught juggler and diabolist hailing from the Lozère in France, Jonas Thomas founded the Compagnie du Grand Hôtel in 2004, and went on to create several shows and routines with them. He builds his own world, drawing inspiration from real life, hunting down the building blocks in thrift shops and recycling centres. He has always had a passion for do-it-yourself, trying out new ideas, new mechanisms with ever-more sophisticated technology, relying as much on simple mechanics as on electronics, programming and 3D printing. Little by little, he has created the persona of a magician, an inventor, one who uses his stage machinery to bring a burlesque feel to his creations.
THE SHOW
In this new show, Jonas and Eugene set up their household appliance stand in front of their mini mobile repair shop. With a trade-fair vibe, our two hucksters, traders, repairmen and bamboozlers engage in highly unusual and somewhat atypical demonstrations involving their audience, designed to prove how unique and indispensable their products are. Beyond their practical usage, the objects gradually take on magical, comical and even symphonic qualities as the duo strive to conquer the hearts of their potential buyers.
A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE:
“Buoyed up by our experiments with automatons (see Atelier 2000) and wanting to explore the idea further, Jonas asked me to work on the Entresort, the short space of time during which the audience enters then comes out of the caravan in order to discover Master Jonas’s workshop. In this very limited space, the public are surrounded by all kinds of objects: as the show progresses, these objects start moving and distract the public’s attention from the workbench where Master Jonas is trying to perfect his next invention. A batucada of drumming Duracell bunnies or a little symphony of household appliances, to name but a few, bring all the different corners of the caravan to life. With the aim of making the show as autonomous as possible, I worked with Jonas on programming the automatons and on designing a controller that would set all the different mechanisms in motion.
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