A year ago, I had the chance to meet the actress Hélène Godec, another lucky encounter that can happen in NYC! On top of her acting career, Hélène is also an artistic director of her own theater company L’Arpenteuse Géomètre and theater teacher at Fordham University where she often welcomes famous French actors for lectures at the University.
She is currently on stage in NYC at the First Floor Theatre for the play Les Bonnes / The Maids. So if you’re in NYC this week, hurry up and grab a seat for an evening at the theatre! Thank Helene for our quick chat between 2 repetitions!
About the play : Every night, the maids stage a fantasized revolution against their mistress Madame. Every night they fail miserably. But last night they have taken a step into reality. They have plotted against Monsieur and got him arrested by the police. Family and class wars unfold.
This new production of “Les Bonnes”, the Maids by Jean Genet, in the original French, captures the grim substance of the sisters’ relationship while dissecting the brutal social powers at play. The ensemble’s rich world of physical symbolism, bursts of sound and song create a visceral experience and catapults us into the here and now of Genet’s classic.
What do you like most about your work?
I like to be different types of people and see the world from different angles. And I like the fact that it’s not a “normal” work life!
I love to create theater that speaks to the audience in the present time even with a play of Molière.
Who are you main artistic influences?
Peter Brook with the “empty space” and “present moment”. Any empty stage can become a stage and you don’t need a big production to tell the world.
What is the question you asked yourself?
Can my work help people to feel less alone with their thoughts, doubts and fears?
What are your projects for 2017?
I’m working on the production of “ Advice to a young bride” with Samantha Grassian and my theater company: arpenteusegeometre.com, based in Paris and New York.
thecuriousfrenchy.wordpress.com 