A STORY…
Meet the cheerful gang of La Famîlia Paštek: brother, sister, uncle, their beloved chicken Pakayo, three bears, pelican Piki-Pili… and now a baby too!
It’s the baby’s first birthday. And everyone is invited!
A cake is baked, the house is decorated, they put on their party clothes… but then everything goes wrong.
The baby disappears, the bear gets angry, the cake explodes, and everything has to be done all over… again and again and again!
Despite all the catastrophes, their love for each other remains strong. And what at first seems like a big failure quickly turns into a moment of universal joy, without language or cultural barriers – where young and old are invited to celebrate together.
All of this is the perfect pretext to show the acting, slapstick and acro techniques of our three friends. Accompanied by songs and traditional music, specially created for the performance.
Come see it and share the smile
BASTOU!
…OF SLAPSTICK…
Just like in Peek-a-Boo! slapstick is at the centre of BIR YAK FIESTA! Slapstick bridges the gap between circus and circus technique by combining physical play with technical mastery of the body in acrobatic situations. This burlesque performance – live on the street, in the square or in the park – is direct, vulnerable and honest. Everything happens here and now in front of the audience. The success of the gag stands or falls with perfect timing and execution, the artist has only one chance and failure is a possibility. He engages with the whole body in acrobatic situations and does not fear danger. The audience appreciates this radical vulnerability and it is this empathic connection with the audience that interests us. Pure and simple slapstick, performed live, is the trademark of Compagnie Charlie.
…FOR EVERYONE…
Wherever they go, the Pašteⱪ Family creates its own world. Patasj, Boga and Galli are migratory birds. They settle in the common space and thus become the new neighbors of the local audience. They have no concept of applicable norms such as privacy or ownership. They are particular and different.
They have their own ideas about food, work or life. Moreover, the three Pašteⱪs address each other in their own language. The Berkti language is the result of a collective play of Esperanto, Bulgarian, Albanian, Turkish… and expands by a few words at each performance. The fact that no one understands the Pašteⱪs does not prevent them from connecting with everyone, from the youngest to the oldest, with the rich as well as the poor. With their own language, as well as the universal language of physical and visual humor, the Pašteⱪs connect ages, orientations, colors, identities, origins, etc., wherever they go.
…IN PUBLIC SPACE!
Every passer-by, resident or visitor who has the time and inclination to stop and enjoy a performance by Cie Charlie is welcome, regardless of age, gender, social class or physical ability. With this variety of audiences and venues, the Pašteⱪs are in their element. For them, moreover, every encounter is a friendship for life. BIR YAK FIESTA! can be performed anywhere: at circus festivals, municipal fairs, neighbourhood parties organised by local associations, in prisons, at the opening (and closing) events of cultural centres, etc.
It is Compagnie Charlie’s dream to create bubbles of laughter within the shows in which everyone recognises themselves, forgets themselves and is carried away by the contagious collective laughter. We are convinced that laughter opens doors and unites people.
TEAM
Concept: Johan Dils, Maxime Membrive, Elise Ouvrier-Buffet and Johannes Vanbinnebeek
Actors: Hendrik Lebon, Christophe Libot et Maxime Membrove
Director: Elise Ouvrier-Buffet
Set design: Les Passeurs de Rêves: Yves Coumans with the help of Thierry Gillet
Scenography: Claire Renard, Yves Coumans
The bears: Nadia Vermeulen, Han Mannaert
Costumes: Han Mannaert
Acrobatics: Jokke Vanderlinden
Magic: Medhi Béduin
Musical composition: Gaëtan Casteels,
Musicians: Gaëtan Casteels, David Desalle
Singing coach: Valérie Davreux
Sound effects: Aurélien Van Trimpont
Trailer/teaser: Pauline Richon
Sales: Justine Cochu
+32 487 44 30 67 – contact@compagniecharlie.be
Graphic design: Charlotte Lippinois
Production: Pascale Mahieu
THANKS TO
Special thanks to Peter Deuss in Inneke Martens
PRODUCTION
A production of Compagnie Charlie
Coproduction: Perpodium – Arsenic2 – Cie Passeurs de Rêves, lieu de fabrique Le Vaisseau – Les Baladins du Miroir – MCAth – Miramiro – CIRKL – Zomer van Antwerpen – CCBW
With the support of the Flemish Community – Circus Decree and the
French Community – Cultuur/Culture. With the support of the tax-shelter of the Belgian federal government
