Oghma Company

Compagnie Oghma: Baroque theatre Festival in Périgord noir

The last week of July is the festival of Baroque Theatre in Périgord noir: The Oghmac

Exceptional places, lit by candlelight thanks to performances such as in the time of Molière: costumes, candles, give life to places sometimes unknown to invite to their discovery in a more intimate way than during a tourist visit.

Castles, chapels, remarkable gardens, vestiges of the rich heritage of the region, give you an appointment!

The 2021 program:

— Monday 26 July 9pm, Place, Auriac-du-Périgord. Un Vent de Frondeby Paul Scarron and friends.

A literary explosion without measure, the Mazarinades tell us about the Fronde from the inside. Led by the irresistible Scarron, the greatest authors lent their pens to these virulent attacks against Mazarin, whose policies were overwhelming the country. The energy of their satire resonates beyond the historical context in this unbridled show that combines masked play, puppetry and absurdist humour.

Live this unique war to the biting rhythm of the best of these texts that remind us that caricature has always been vital.

— Tuesday 27 July Chartreuse des Fraux, La Bachellerie: Pyramus and Thisbe, of Theophile de Viau.

The first Romeo and Juliet in history, the two lovers are the subject of Theophilus' only play, which, by adapting a fable from the Metamorphoses, offers a reflection on Religion and Power with a boldness that will earn him his freedom and his life.

Plunged into a painting by Georges de La Tour, the courtyard of the Chartreuse des Fraux will be sculpted by the chiaroscuro of our candles as night falls on our lovers.

Preceded by a talk (free) by Philippe Chométy (University of Toulouse) at 8:15 pm.

— Wednesday 28 July | Salle des fêtes, Auriac-du-Périgord: Baroque theatre initiation workshop.

The art of the Baroque actor comes from oratorical rhetoric, developed by the ancient Greeks and Romans to convince and move their listeners. With La Boëtie's Discourse of Voluntary Servitude, we will see the links between theatre, plea and harangue: what weapons does the orator have at his disposal and how does the theatre become part of an argument - or vice versa.

It will also be an opportunity to discover the different moments when this spoken word intervened, their links between them, and to enter into the little secrets of the Company, through concrete examples in which you will be the actors!

These two hours of discovery are for all ages and do not require any previous experience.

— Thursday 29 July 9pm | Castle, Country: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude, of Etienne de la Boëtie.

A major work by one of the great minds of the Périgord, so bold that it was not published in full until years after his death. In it, La Boëtie analyses in a terribly accurate way the risks of the absolute power he sees being built.

An essential reflection proposed as an immersive dialogue between text and music: the words of La Boëtie are punctuated by music of his time, performed by the ensemble The Ball Leadersfor a moment that will resonate today.

— Friday 30 July 9pm | Church, Saint-Geniès: I cannot keep quiet (Non posc mudar) of Bertran de Born.

Lord of Hautefort, the name of Bertran de Born is known everywhere in Périgord, but his songs do not resound as often as they deserve. Powerful poems with a moving musicality, they denounce the politics of the king, Henry II Plantagenet, at a time when Aquitaine was still divided between two countries, France and England, and generations were fighting for the crown.

Their cry, carried by the Trobar projectThis unique musical show, specially created for this edition, will once again strike our ears in their original language.

— Saturday 31 July 9pm Church, Rouffignac-Saint-Cernin: Léandre and Héro de Paul Scarron .

Paul Scarron, an early rebel, rewrites the Greek myth of two lovers who try to unite when everything separates them, in an ode full of irreverence. Awarded the Blower AwardThis show comes back to Périgord with its lace and ribbons, its mischievous narrator and above all its humour!

In a game of mirrors dear to the Baroque period, here is the comic reflection in Pyramus and Thisbeto continue with lightness our week devoted to the Fronde and its author-beacon, in front of the balance of the beautiful reborn porch of Saint-Germain-de-Rouffignac.

— Sunday 1 August | 17h | Public rehearsal: Cleopatra Captive.

Behind the scenes. What are the final touches made by the artists the day before a premiere and after ten months of work? How can a tiny detail change an entire line and give it a different meaning? An original approach to a show that is being created before your eyes, which you can then appreciate with the eye of the connoisseur.

— Monday 2 August | 21h | Cleopatra captive, by Etienne Jodelle.

In the first French tragedy, Jodelle paints a young monarch on his way to becoming absolute and warns against the risks of power concentrated in the hands of one man. In his sublime use of Renaissance language, this twenty-year-old poet continues to move and surprise us.

The show, co-produced with the National Museum of the Renaissance, will plunge you into the splendour of the court of Henry II, in the setting of the court of one of the most famous and magnificent castles of the Périgord.

— throughout the festival | Town Hall, Auriac-du-Périgord | Photo exhibition by Achile Bird.

The young photographer and actor from the Périgord Achile Birdwho signs the photos that make up our poster, has been following the Oghma Company since January. He gives us his view of his country and of our work as a double artist.

A highlight of his residency - which marks the multidisciplinarity that we value - this exhibition allows you to discover his favourite photographs. Visit the exhibition with the artist on Wednesday 28 July from 4pm