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Chroniques de l'autre rive
Michèle Sigal
Actes du théâtre n° 29.[ imprimer ]
‘‘Funeral homes, expert in the art of dressing up death, offer to ‘stage’ ‘tailor-made’ ceremonies designed to turn a person’s demise into a spectacular and unforgettable event, transforming death into a consumer product – the last one.
But the makeshift rituals, often borrowed from the most conventional and tacky aspects of social life, frequently result in incongruous, comical and tragicomic situations, as if death had a better sense of humour than life. That return effect is what I was trying to catch in mid-air in giving voice to this bungled staging of the trappings of death.’’ Michèle Sigal

Michèle Sigal, an archaeologist of human fractures
‘‘Michèle Sigal’s writing is generous, poetic and rebellious, surprising, and outside the box. She breaks down walls to show us mankind’s foundations, like an archaeologist bringing to light all the layers of utopia and bestiality right there in the sediment, in the cracks in our feelings and consciences.
From Old Europe to New Mexico, her restless imagination and perceptive investigator’s eye dig into and bring out all the humour and strangeness of life.
Radio is the new medium for this rare talent, who has already proven her worth and well deserves our attention.’’

Christian Rullier, playwright and publisher
June 2006

A 10-episode radio series broadcast on France Culture from 1st-12th December 2008.
Director: Michel Sidoroff. Sounds: Patrick Martinache.
Assistant Director: Guy Peyramaure. Sound engineer and editor: Claude Niort and Jean-Michel Desprez.
Cast: Quentin Baillot, Marc-Henri Boisse, Bernard Bouillon, Christine Gagneux, Sabine Haudepin, Mouss, Laurent Natrella, Nathalie Nerval, Jean-Gabriel Nordmann, Maud Rayer, Emmanuelle Riva, Fabienne Tricottet, Christèle Wurmser…

Characters : 20 women - 20 men - and smaller roles

Excerpt from the second episode: « La Fosse suivante » (The Next Grave)
SALESMAN He opens his briefcase and takes out a pile of documents. I work for the Bibelot company - you’ve probably heard the name before. (Hearing no response, he continues.) A venerable funeral parlor company in business for over two centuries. The house of Bibelot was created in 1800 by…

OLD LADY Simultaneously, deep inside. Mister Chang… Mister Chang… help me Mister Chang…
SALESMAN … Saved thanks to American capital. (He lays the documents down on the table.)
OLD LADY Simultaneously, deep inside. Take me away Mister Chang, take me away … the next time you go to China …
SALESMAN We’re all going to die one day, and I’ll be the first, I mean I’ll go too someday. There’s no sense in pretending, so you might as well plan ahead. It may seem a bit abrupt, but it’s just being realistic. Plots are getting scarce, real estate is soaring…And when it comes knocking…That’s why…
CHINAMAN Simultaneously, in an inner dialogue with the old lady. To China? You don’t beat around the bush, do you?
OLD LADY Time is of the essence.
CHINAMAN The journey is long…
OLD LADY Please…
CHINAMAN All right, all right, when your turn comes. I can’t do anything before then.
SALESMAN … That’s why I took care of and settled the issue of my own funeral, so I wouldn’t be a burden on my family, my friends or the community… All the more reason when one has reached such a ripe old age as yours. Inflation has tripled the price of a square foot, and I’m sure you don’t want to be buried in one of those dormitories of death out in the suburbs so far from everything, where no one will come to see you and you’ll be all alone, abandoned like a punctured tire on the side of some deserted road, when just across the way, right outside your window you’ve got a magnificent view of one of the finest cemeteries in Paris, created in … by…
OLD LADY At the end of the last line. What’s it like over there?
CHINAMAN Don’t get your expectations up too high.
SALESMAN In any case you don’t have to make up your mind today. (He slams a heavy document down on the table.) Although this one isn’t bad, and neither is this one, and it’s cheap. I’ll leave you the information so you can think about it. We’re in no hurry, at least I hope not. At any rate I’ve taken care of my own death, so now I can live in peace. How about you? (He slams the document shut. A beat.) Well?