Director’s Note

“... movement, in art, is what must be expressed above all else.  But it is also what is most difficult to explain…”

Welcome!

We are thrilled to be in the midst of what is officially People's Circus Theatre’s first tour: a sneak preview at Club Fugazi, the world premiere at Dance Mission, and a limited run at ODC.  Thank you for joining us on this journey.

Why a show about Camille Claudel?  Who even is Camille Claudel?  I first became aware of Camille Claudel years ago when visiting the Legion of Honor and perusing the large, permanent exhibit of Rodin’s work.  At the time, there was a small photo and biography of Claudel next to the bust she made of Rodin.  I was fascinated by this young woman who seemed to be little more than a footnote in history and yet made the most famous portrait of him in existence.  A few years ago I was in Chicago, and the Art Institute happened to have a visiting exhibit of Camille Claudel’s work.  I became absorbed by her story and fell in love with her artwork.  It is difficult to describe the power of Camille’s sculptures if you have not seen them in person.  Photos do not do them justice.  Somehow Claudel captures a quality of movement and life that seems impossible in a static artform.  Of course, I felt compelled to make a circus theatre show about her.

A lot of research has gone into this project.  Much of the dialogue comes from direct quotations, and the movement is based on actual artwork.  But this show is in no way 100% historically accurate.  Like the Impressionists, we seek to capture the essence and emotion of Camille’s story, the fleeting moments that might have been, rather than the comprehensive facts of it. 

“Without a doubt, movement distorts…And so it does for the human body, which it elongates or shrinks, changing its proportions, throwing off its balance.”

Camille’s story still resonates with us today.  We have interpreted it through the lens of our lives and experiences to share it with you in the form that feels most true to us.  And sometimes it is in the distortions that we get closest to the truth. 

“The artist cannot stand between what has been and what will be.  He must choose.  Of what has been, he must keep only that which is necessary to explain what will be.”

In Gratitude,

Felicity

Quote from Mathias Morhardt, Art Critic and Supporter of Camille Claudel’s work