Founded some 30 years ago by director Madeleine Loarn, the “Catalyse” theater workshop brings together mentally handicapped actors. For the 70th edition of the Avignon Festival, the troupe will take to the stage to perform its play Ludwig, un roi sur la lune (Ludwig, A King on the Moon).
At the heart of this dramatic work is the figure of Ludwig II of Bavaria, a romantic and whimsical monarch. Deemed unfit for power and unsuited to social life, his contemporaries called him “the Mad King”. A dreamlike creation, the play is an invitation to explore the mind of this misunderstood ruler.
Overcoming their difficulties and fears, the actors gradually take on their characters and, in symbiosis, bring Ludwig’s imaginary worlds to life. From this first rehearsals to the curtain-raiser in Avignon, this film plunges us into the heart of a unique, poetic and democratic theatrical experience.
Direction: Éric Chebassier & Jean-François Ducrocq
Production: Point du Jour & Les 48° Rugissants pour France Télévisions