Direction and songs by Olivier Py Musical composition by Jean-Yves Rivaud Costumes by Pierre-Andre Weitz

Singers: Olivier Py Michel Fau Elizabeth Mazev Musicians: Jean-Yves Rivaud (piano) Christian Paccoud (accordion) Mathieu Dalle (bass) Pierre-Andre Weitz (tuba)

Olivier Py studied literature, then theology at the Catholic Institute, and, for a while, considered being a musician. However, he chose the theatre, graduated from Drama School, Rue Blanche in Paris, and then studied at the National Conservatory for Drama. In 1988, he created his company "L'inconvenient des Boutures". He is a playwright, he directs his own plays (frequently on a autobiographical basis), and often plays in them. Aged thirty-three, he has already written and directed more than 10 plays, and is considered to be one of the great hopes of the French theatre. True fame came after the 1995 Avignon Festival, when he presented his marathon-length play La Servante, the main theme of which was the 'service' of the art of theatre. After this acclaimed success, Bernard Faivre d'Arcier, Director of the Festival, asked the young author and director to produce a new work that could be performed in the Main Courtyard of the Palais des Papes. This gave birth to The Face of Orpheus, in 1997. Although Olivier Py is strongly involved in drama, he has a passion for cabaret, the 'masquerade' genre, which allows light, funny mixtures of songs and parody. In 1996 he made a wonderful debut in this genre, and delighted the Avignon public with his musical performance of Miss Knife's Cabaret. From then on, "he regularly appeared dressed as Miss Knife, a Berliner singer, with a strong liking for bad taste." (Rene Solis - Liberation)

Olivier Py is higly gifted, with an appealing taste for rebellion, and a light sense of humour. Ideology is not his fancy. His obsessions? Violence, desire, God, theatre, and poetry... Odile Quirot, "Le Nouvel Observateur"

Central Army Theatre Small Stage 7, 8 April Suvorov Square, 2

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