«Imaginary Worlds of the Future» is a creative laboratory led by director Joris Mathieu and set designer Nicolas Boudier for fifteen young artists (directors, stage designers, playwrights) selected in 2021 through an invitation to participate and a competition. The purpose of the event is to create new theater projects for young generations, making the use and importance of new technologies on stage (robotics, artificial intelligence, ICT, etc.) a subject of discussion.
From September 1st to 6th, the second stage of the project was held at the Center for Innovative Experiential Art ( NPAK/ACCEA)
The event was opened by Joris Mathieu, artistic director of the Theater Nouvelle Génération (Theatre Nouvelle Génération) – Lyon Dramatic Center, who presented his approach and the interest of this laboratory work.
The project is implemented with the support of the French Institute, in cooperation with the cultural activity service of the French Embassy in Armenia and with the friendly participation of the International Association of Children’s Theater (Assitej international).
Théâtre Nouvelles, Lyon’s national drama center, historically dedicated to theatrical productions for young audiences, has today evolved into a resource center for “New Generations of Artists”, “New Generations of Experiences” and “New Generations of Audiences”. The uniqueness of the latter in the French panorama lies in the fact that it strongly supports the creation of hybrid forms at the intersection of different professions.
Directors Joris Mathieu and Nicolas Boudier have been working together since 1998 on stage projects in which dramaturgy is closely linked to the development of stage props that draw the audience into the story.
Joris Mathieu is an author and director. Since 2016, he has been managing the National Drama Center of Lyon, the “New Generation” theater. His artistic line corresponds to a theater that wants to “Imagine Tomorrow” and that raises questions of science fiction and prediction through the adaptation of works of fiction or the production of new stories inspired by social phenomena.
Nicolas Boudier is a director, stage designer, lighting designer and photographer.
He designs stage installations that combine light, sound, video, technology and virtual image processes, expanding his activities in the fields of theatre, dance, installation and museography. As a permanent employee-artist of the “New Generation” theater, he collaborates with Joris Mathieu in the design of all the works of the company.
The participants of the creative laboratory are:Alexey Zhitkovsky, Anna Gorbas, Vladimir Gusev, Anastasia Ilyina, Ivan Kurkin, Maria Malukhina, Angelina Migranova, Yana Osman, Roman Pugach, Marta Raitz, Rodion Sabirov, Nikita Slavich, Ksenia Sorokina, Ekaterina Timofeeva, Ivan Zaslavets.
