Ciels

What is watching us ?
Wajdi Mouawad

« There is in my mind », confesses Wajdi Mouawad, « a sort of triple schizophrenia, linked to a life split between Lebanon, France and Quebec. I have chosen none of these places...It might be said : what if I had stayed in Lebanon, I would have spoken Arabic ; but would I have done theater ? Sometimes I have the impression that there are three of me, that one of « me » stayed in Lebanon and became a hairdresser, and that another went to France and became a painter. » Continuing his body of work, which has already been awarded many prizes, the actor-director Mouawad, will be the « associate-artist » at the 2009 Avignon Theater Festival, where "Ciels" (Heavens) will first be performed.
What does « Ciels » actually look like ? Mouawad has a curious way of talking about his projects : « Well before rehearsals », he writes in the first pages of « Seuls ». « there is the awakening. My awakening. My awakening before a sensation, that of being watched by something, which is already the performance. » For Mouawad, his projects are living beings, heralding figures (angels, children or wild beasts), and sometimes, he has to wait years before their presence makes itself known to him. In the meantime, they loiter and prowl about, spy on him, patiently observe, all ears, wait until they feel he is looking for them, searching for their face. From this point on, it is hardly surprising that the search for origins is so profoundly ingrained in Mouawad's writing. It inhabits the very way he writes : even before setting the pendulums in motion and going out to search, the play « to be » is itself a unique individual whose identity must be established through a long and thorough investigation. It is the heartbeat and the drumbeat that vibrates inside almost all of his writing and that has brought him to the public eye, one where the question of tracing genealogy, returning to a country one left behind or lost memories, the necessity of renewing a filial bond, family heritage, deciphering enigmas, is prominent.
This said, what will "Ciels" look like ? It is the fourth title in a quartet whose preceding stepping stones were - Shoreline (1999), Fires (2003) and Forests (2006) - which cover a good ten years of work. "Ciels" was first seen by Mouawad as a « play of short duration », which would talk about « Italian Renaissance paintings that depict themes of the Annunciation, terrorism, phone tapping and fidelity ». In the interim, « Seuls » appeared, and Mouawad now speaks of "Ciels" as being the story of « six characters...locked up by their own accord, in a high security place. They have not been out for months and eavesdrop on phone conversations in crucial spots in the city, when they aren't spending their time filtering through e-mail. They know that a terrorist attack is being planned, and will attempt to foil it. In a nutshell : paranoia, suspicion but also, childhood ! »