A marionette made of ice will melt your heart in Anywhere, an exquisite, landmark string-marionette work created by the French company Théâtre de l'Entrouvert. Freely inspired by Henry Bauchau's novel "Oedipus on the Road," Anywhere evokes the long wandering of Oedipus accompanied by his daughter Antigone. The fallen Oedipus appears in the form of an ice puppet that gradually melts, then appears as mist and finally disappears in the forest, the place of clairvoyance. Anywhere traces with gentleness and strength a poetic journey, in black and white, of fire and ice, which speaks to us about our bodies, our environment, our fragilities, and our wanderings in the infinite circle of renewal.

The Chicago Puppet Festival and Théâtre de l'Entrouvert are working in close collaboration setting this work on a U.S.-based ensemble, led by Chicago puppeteers Mark Blashford and Ashwaty Chennatt, who are traveling to Ales, France this winter to observe performances of the work in Ales and learn the complexities of performing with ice. Following its debut, the Chicago Puppet Festival plans to tour the work nationally starting in 2023.

About Les Anges au Plafond -Les Anges au Plafond was born from the meeting of two puppeteers Camille Trouvé and Brice Berthoud, who articulate their artistic language around three main axes: the breath of the epic, the space in question and the gesture of manipulation, visible or invisible. Puppets, shadows, projections, pop-up, scenography in movement, the poetic and offbeat universe of Les Anges au Plafond is declined throughout the shows with paper as the material of predilection and live music at the heart of the dramaturgy. Driven by the desire to tell intimate and spectacular stories, they transport us into the tales of life trajectories, from the founding myths of Antigone and Oedipus to the figures of contemporary artists. lesangesauplafond.net

Théâtre de l'Entrouvert was created in 2010 by Elise Vigneron trained in plastic arts, circus arts and puppetry arts (graduate of the École Nationale Supérieure de la Marionnette in Charleville-Mézières). At the crossroads of disciplines, the Théâtre de l'Entrouvert supports a contemporary vision of the puppetry arts, while drawing inspiration from its origins. lentrouvert.com