09:40 > 10:35
Véa, Rhiannon Collett, Pénélope Bourque, Pénélope Ducharme
J’ai jamais…
Theater /
4 > 21.07
Breaks on July 9 and 16
L'Intra /
Compagnie ExiT
5 secondes
Hélène Soulie, Maxime Taffanel, Catherine Benhamou
A woman leaves her child on an RER platform with a stranger, then disappears.
In five seconds — the time it takes for the doors to close — everything shifts.
The speaker is that stranger. A young man still living with his mother.
Over the course of a night spent wandering with the child, he tries to put into words what has happened.
He speaks at the child’s level, like a brother, pushing back against the noise of judgment.
This moment will bring about a profound transformation in him.
For in the encounter between these two lost children, something unexpected emerges: an infinite tenderness.
The piece explores the myth of the “bad mother,” the masculine expectations inherited from the father, and the ways we love and connect with one another.
That day, the global population surpassed eight billion people. And among those eight billion, there is you, and there is me.That day, the global population surpassed eight billion people. And among those eight billion, there is you, and there is me.
Company presentation
A theatre company supported by DRAC Occitanie, ExiT is a space for storytelling and the sharing of new narratives, where reality and fiction intersect as a way of questioning the world. It is a theatre of radical tenderness, where commitment is expressed through the sensorial. The company explores the dynamics of power and domination that run through our lives, from the intimate to the collective, and develops its work in close dialogue with playwrights. Together, they create engaged pieces that awaken the imagination and shape fables for an emancipated and joyful society.
Hélène Soulié - Stage director
A stage director and dramaturg, Hélène Soulié founded the theatre company ExiT in Montpellier in 2008, where she has since developed a rigorous body of work at the intersection of writing, dramaturgical research, and social concerns. She conceives the stage as a space for artistic experimentation, where fiction, critical thought, and political imagination converge.
A figure of the contemporary theatre scene, she trained at ENSAD in Montpellier and at Paris Nanterre University. Her recent work includes "Peau d’âne – La fête est finie", a play she co-wrote with Marie Dilasser, presented notably at the Théâtre Public de Montreuil – CDN and at MC93, as well as "5 secondes" by Catherine Benhamou, created at Les Plateaux Sauvages in Paris and presented as the opening performance of the Printemps des Comédiens festival in Montpellier.
Maxime Taffanel - Actor
In 2009, he joined the École Nationale Supérieure d’Art Dramatique (ENSAD) in Montpellier, then directed by Ariel Garcia Valdès. Over the course of three years, he worked with directors and actors such as Yves Ferry, Bruno Geslin, Richard Mitou, Lucas Hemleb, Christine Gagnieux, Claude Degliame, Evelyne Didi, André Wilms, Olivier Werner, Sylvain Creuzevault, and Cyril Teste.
Following his training, he joined the Comédie-Française in 2012, under the direction of Muriel Mayette, as an élève-comédien. There, he performed under the direction of Marc Paquien, Jean-Yves Ruf, Denis Podalydès, Giorgio Barberio Corsetti, and Jérôme Deschamps.
During his time at the Comédie-Française, he co-founded the Collectif Colette with fellow actors from his class, performing in two productions directed by Laurent Cogez.
He subsequently worked under the direction of Jean-Louis Benoit, Marc Paquien, and Hugues Duchêne.
He has also appeared in film and audiovisual projects directed by Camille Melvil and Fabien Cavacas. In 2017, he wrote Cent mètres papillon, an autofictional solo piece recounting the journey of a high-level young swimmer. Directed by Nelly Pulicani, the piece was presented at La Manufacture in Avignon in 2018 and toured for three years.
In 2021, he founded the company Robe de bulles and wrote his second piece, À volonté.
In 2022, he was nominated for a Molière Award in the category “Révélation Masculine”.
Catherine Benhamou - Autor
Catherine Benhamou trained at the Conservatoire National Supérieur d’Art Dramatique (CNSAD).
Her plays are staged and selected by numerous reading committees, and she is regularly hosted in residence at La Chartreuse – CNES. She has received several grants from the CNL, as well as writing commissions (SACD, Artcena, TNS, Théâtre du Pélican, Collectif Créatures, Collectif Debout, among others).
She was awarded the 2020 Grand Prix de Littérature Dramatique (Artcena) for Romance.
Since September 2020, she has been teaching at the Institut théâtral of Université Paris III – Sorbonne Nouvelle as part of the professional undergraduate programme, as well as at Aleph-Écriture.
Her plays are published by Éditions des femmes–Antoinette Fouque, Éditions Koïné, and Éditions Espaces 34.
Distribution
Directed by Hélène Soulié
Text by Catherine Benhamou
With Maxime Taffanel
Assistant Director Lenka Luptakova
Set Design Hélène Soulié, Emmanuelle Debeusscher
Lighting Design Juliette Besançon
Music Composition & Sound Design Jean-Christophe Sirven
Costume Design Pétronille Salomé
Set and Puppet Construction Emmanuelle Debeusscher
Outside Perspectives Morgane Peters (Puppet) & Chloé Bégou
Stage Management & Lighting Design Naëlle Vallet
Production
ExiT Production
Co-production and partners LES PLATEAUX SAUVAGES-Paris, TPM – CDN Montreuil, Théâtre Charles Dullin- Grand Quevilly, Théâtre Jérôme Savary-Villeneuve-lès-Maguelone, Théâtre Jacques Coeur-Lattes.
With the support of ARTCENA, the DRAC Occitanie (as a subsidized company), the City of Montpellier, the “Impulsions” program of Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole, the Hérault Department, and the City of Paris.
Co-presented by Les Plateaux Sauvages with the support and technical assistance of Les Plateaux Sauvages.
In the press
Your contacts in Avignon (pro only)
Olivier Talpaert
0677325050 / oliviertalpaert@envotrecompagnie.fr