Certain texts, that are both the diagnosis and the symptom, express their era as much as they actually describe it. The ELEMENTARY PARTICLES / ATOMISED, is one such work. Its heroes all have a problem with love : Bruno is constantly asking for it, Michel doesn’t know how to answer it…A satire that pretends to be impassive set in a world of science fiction, Houellebecque’s novel, merging with secret compassion, his humor and his bitterness, imposed a tone and a vision that have left an indelible mark. Julien Gosselin isn’t yet 30. He and his theater company « If you could lick my heart », have embraced Houellebecq’s sardonic melancholy and the multiplicity and range of his writing. Their performance, one of the success stories of last year’s Avignon Festival, is on tour throughout France this year.
*Certain scenes in this performance may be inappropriate for a younger audience. It is therefore not recommended for children 16 or younger.
Cast
Adaptation, direction and stage design Julien Gosselin
Music Guillaume Bachelé
Video Pierre Martin
Sound Julien Feryn
Lighting and et Stage management Nicolas Joubert
Costumes Caroline Tavernier
Direction assistant Yann Lesvenan
production Si vous pouviez lécher mon cœur
coproduction Festival d’Avignon, Théâtre du Nord Théâtre national Lille Tourcoing Région Nord-Pas de Calais, le phénix Scène nationale de Valenciennes, La Rose des Vents Scène nationale Lille Métropole (Villeneuve d’Ascq), Théâtre de Vanves Scène conventionnée pour la danse, Le Mail Scène culturelle de Soissons
avec le soutien du Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication DRAC Nord-Pas de Calais, de la Région Nord-Pas de Calais et de Beaumarchais-SACD
remerciements à la Ville de Lille, à Laurent Poutrel et l’équipe du Tripostal, à la Compagnie de l’Oiseau-Mouche, à la Condition publique Manufacture culturelle à Roubaix, à toute l’équipe de Motus et aux candidats Arthur et Arnaud, à Gladys Villégas pour Carlsberg, à Emmanuel Mourmant, Vérène Corcos, Pierre dos Santos, Jeanne Lazar, Laurent Hatat, Pol Desmur « Lepolair » et à Star’s Music Lille.
Le Festival reçoit le soutien de la Fondation BNP Paribas pour la production de ce spectacle.
Spectacle créé le 8 juillet 2013 à la Salle de spectacle de Vedène-Espace Bardi.
Director
Julien Gosselin trained at the École supérieure d'art dramatique de Lille, directed by Stuart Seide. With six fellow students, he formed Si vous pouviez lécher mon cœur in 2009, and directed Gênes 01 by Fausto Paravidino (Théâtre du Nord, 2010), Tristesse animal noir by Anja Hilling (Théâtre de Vanves, 2010) then Les Particules élémentaires after Michel Houellebecq (Festival d'Avignon, 2013). Next came Je ne vous ai jamais aimés by Pascal Bouaziz (Théâtre national de Bruxelles, 2014), Le Père by Stéphanie Chaillou (Théâtre national de Toulouse, 2015) and 2666, adapted from Roberto Bolaño's whirlwind novel (Festival d'Avignon, 2016).
After 1993, by Aurélien Bellanger (Festival de Marseille, with class 43 of the Théâtre national de Strasbourg), he returned to Avignon for Joueurs, Mao II, Les Noms, after Don DeLillo, which also inspired Vallende Man (L'Homme qui tombe), first performed at the International Theater Amsterdam (Netherlands), then Le Marteau et la Faucille (Printemps des Comédiens - Montpellier). In 2018, he won the XV Europe Prize for Theater in St. Petersburg. In 2021, Julien Gosselin will work with the Théâtre national de Strasbourg's Groupe 45 on an adaptation of Krzysztof Kieslowski's Dékalog, and will direct Le Passé, based on texts by Russian author Léonid Andréïev. In 2023, he created Extinction, based on Thomas Bernhard and Arthur Schnitzler, which brought together actors from Si vous pouviez lécher mon cœur and the Volksbuehne, and premiered at the Printemps des Comédiens in Montpellier, before going on to the Avignon Festival, Berlin, Antwerp and Paris (Théâtre de la Ville). He created Musée Duras with students from the CNSAD Class of 2025.
At the Odéon, Julien Gosselin and Si vous pouviez lécher mon cœur presented:
- Les Particules élémentaires, by Michel Houellebecq, at Les Ateliers Berthier (2014), reprised at Théâtre de l'Odéon 6e (2017);
- 2666, by Roberto Bolaño, at Les Ateliers Berthier (2016);
- Joueurs, Mao II, Les Noms, after Don DeLillo, at Les Ateliers Berthier (2018);
- Le Passé, after Leonid Andréïev, at Odéon 6e (2021).
He has been the director of the Odéon Théâtre de l'Europe since July 15.
Read the press release from the French Ministry of Culture
