Street Theatre Super Stars Stage Revolt in Windows

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Street Theatre Super Stars Stage a Revolt in Wellington City’s Store Front Windows

“Royal de Luxe is to street art what a glacier is to ice cubes.” The Guardian

Street theatre super stars, Royal de Luxe, from France have taken over some central Wellington store front windows for the next nine days with their genius show Revolt of the Mannequins that is part of the New Zealand International Arts Festival.

“It is impossible to quantify how many people have been touched by the artistry of Royal de Luxe – with some of their shows involving Giants, we are talking not thousands, but millions of people. Consistent with all their productions are characters who share their emotions with the spectator – in the case of the Mannequins from love and tenderness to jealousy and revenge. Watch as they revolt against years of shop front slavery!” says Lissa Twomey, Artistic Director of the New Zealand International Arts Festival.

The comic strip style story telling involves 40 mannequins in 10 shop front windows. There are 22 performers involved in installing the show and they work in the public eye so people can watch the whole process.

The stories are:

CLOSING-DOWN SALE at David Lawrence on Lambton Quay
EVIL TALE FOR TOERH PEOPLE’S CHILDREN at Pearl on Hunter Street
THE COMIC FIRE BRIGADE at Robyn Mathieson on Featherston Street
THE ANGELUS, BY MILLET at Portmans on Lambton Quay
NIGHTMARE OF THE PUDDLE at Unity Collection
THE HUNTER at Farmers
POSITIVE TEST at Kirkaldie & Stains
THE KITCHEN at Kirkaldie & Stains
THE LOVERS at Staxs.

There is also a mannequin that is a Sniper character with a gun who is part of the stories that unfold during the next nine days.

Royal de Luxe was founded in 1979 by Artistic Director Jean Luc Courcoult. The company is famous throughout the world for turning whole cities into stages, and they have installed their work in France, Belgium, England, Germany, Iceland, Chile, China, Korea, Vietnam, Africa and Australia.

Their appearance in Wellington is sponsored by The Dominion Post with support from The Community Trust of Wellington and the Embassy of France.

ENDS