THE DEVILS OF LOUDUN is a multilayered chamber piece about mass possession, sin, and redemption, inspired by Aldous Huxley's historical novel. The story centers on a group of 17th century Ursuline nuns who, inspired by their Prioress, Sister Jeanne des Anges, became officially "possessed" and were forced to undergo public exorcisms. Blame for the nuns' behavior was placed on the cavalier and charismatic priest, Urbain Grandier. Guilty of sins of the flesh but not of the devil, and burdened with enemies at the highest levels of French society, Grandier was imprisoned, tortured, and ultimately martyred. Eventually, Jeanne's visions of devils were replaced by an apparition of Saint Joseph, and she became "miraculously" marked with stigmata. She cultivated the career of a mystic and lived famed and respected for many years.
DEVILS, in development for five years, has grown from a strictly movement-based performance piece into a ritualized integration of text, music, and movement that makes for a compelling, visceral, and rewarding experience for actors and audience alike. The text has been compiled from a variety of sacred and classic sources, including Goethe, Milton, Luther, Calderon, Baudelaire, Donne, the Nag Hammadi Library, Swami Vivekananda, and the Bible. The abundant vocal music comes from a wide range of Medieval and Renaissance sources, including Machaut, Codex Las Huelgas, Le Jeune, Attaignant, Victoria, Aquinas, and von Bingen. Elements of sacred movement and traditional dance, as well as techniques from mime, Commedia dell'Arte, and Meyerhold, have been integrated into the staging. The overall effect is to create layers of detail that will make each audience member's experience of the piece unique and unforgettable.
In addition, DZIECI will be offering performances of FOOL'S MASS on Sundays at 2:30pm. In this work, a group of medieval village idiots are forced to enact the mass on their own due to the sudden death of their beloved pastor, an extraordinary man who had given them shelter and taught them to sing. Though it sounds grim, the piece is full of buffoonery and comic audience participation. This, along with choral singing of sacred hymns and chants from the 8th through the 17th centuries, combine to create a work which travels from the ridiculous to the sublime. The piece has been performed seasonally at Grace Episcopal Church in Manhattan since 1998. Reverend Mario Martinez, Vicar Priest at the church has said, "All priests should experience this complex, delightful, and rich theatrical creation."
La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club is a world-renowned cultural organization led by founder Ellen Stewart. For 41 years, La MaMa has passionately pursued its original mission to develop, nurture, support, produce and present new and original performance work by artists of all nations and cultures. Creative risk-taking, experimentation, and challenging artistic boundaries have always been the focus of the work created and performed at La MaMa. DZIECI is proud to be part of that tradition.
photographs by Arturo Cubria-Piris
