Anna Soboleva
THEATRE DESIGNER
THE GRAND GUIGNOL
The Grand Guignol chronicles the birth and death of one of the world’s great forgotten theatres. Once an old chapel in the Montmartre district of Paris, the Theatre du Grand Guignol became an institution which transgressed theatrical conventions and wasn’t afraid to tackle taboos.For more than six decades it thrilled its audience with its peculiar brand of compelling and horrific plays…and the audiences couldn’t get enough of the violence.
Told through the eyes of its actors and backstage staff, including Maxa, ‘the most assassinated woman in the world’ and Andre de Lorde, ‘the Prince of Terror’, The Grand Guignol offers a fascinating insight into Paris’ most feared (and revered) house of horror and how those horrors compete with those the company must face on the streets and in their daily lives.
Creative team:
Written by Francis Kobayashi
Directed by Adam Hemming
Design – Anna Soboleva
Sound- Odinn Hilmarsson and Keri Chesser
Lighting -Andy Straw
Cecile/Marianne – Lucy Farrett
Oscar Metenier/Vollmoeller – Jack Govan
Severine Mars – Samantha Spurgin
Henri Gouget – Dimitri Shaw
Max Maurey – Neil Sheppeck
Paul Ratineau – Tom Skitt
Actress – Alana Ross
Bette – Emma Rose
Louis Cassel – Ed Sheridan
Andre De Lorde – Daniel Collard
Maxa – Caroline Roussel
Bluebeard/Martin – Ed Allenby
Roullet – Edward Cartwright
Photos taken by Ben Carpenter and Anna Soboleva