When the invisible reveals itself in the visible of the stage. Shadow in the theatrical treatment of fairy tales staged by Emma Dante and Joël Pommerat: the adaptations of Little Red Riding Hood
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54103/2282-0035/28725Keywords:
archetype, fairy tale, shadow, rewritings, devising playwrightAbstract
This article seeks to explore the ambivalent figure of the shadow, a recurring presence in literature and in the Western theatrical tradition, where it often takes on the form of a ghost. Theatre, in particular, frequently stages spectres and gives voice to those from beyond the grave. The shadow thus becomes substance – an embodied presence, more or less visible to the spectator.The analysis focuses on the shadow as an archetypal figure, aiming to illuminate the relationship between its traditional expression in fairy tales and its reimagining in contemporary adaptations of Little Red Riding Hood by Emma Dante and Joël Pommerat. These reinterpretations give rise to characters that exist halfway between spectre and alter ego, figures that reveal both the absence and presence of a spectral entity intrinsically bound to the self. This shadow embodies nightmares, hallucinations, and fears – it defines the very core of the character. Yet it remains elusive, appearing and vanishing, drawing the spectator’s gaze only to emphasize what is missing, what has faded. Ultimately, these shadows vanish in the light of the sun. This symbolic dissipation may be read as the culmination of the heroines’ initiatory journey: having braved the forest and its dangers, they emerge as young women, more or less fulfilled, independent, and mature.
The analysis focuses on the shadow as an archetypal figure, aiming to illuminate the relationship between its traditional expression in fairy tales and its reimagining in contemporary adaptations of Little Red Riding Hood by Emma Dante and Joël Pommerat.
These reinterpretations give rise to characters that exist halfway between spectre and alter ego, figures that reveal both the absence and presence of a spectral entity intrinsically bound to the self. This shadow embodies nightmares, hallucinations, and fears—it defines the very core of the character. Yet it remains elusive, appearing and vanishing, drawing the spectator’s gaze only to emphasize what is missing, what has faded.
Ultimately, these shadows vanish in the light of the sun. This symbolic dissipation may be read as the culmination of the heroines’ initiatory journey: having braved the forest and its dangers, they emerge as young women, more or less fulfilled, independent, and mature.
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Script de Cappuccetto Rosso vs Cappuccetto Rosso fourni par l’auteure.
Captation de Cappuccetto Rosso vs Cappuccetto Rosso, Compagnia Sud Costa Occidentale, réalisée au Teatro Biondo de Palermo le 15 octobre 2015 fournie par l’auteur.
Captation de Le Petit Chaperon rouge, Compagnie Louis Brouillard, réalisée au Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord lors de la générale du 30 aprile 2017 fournie par l’auteur.
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