Cie L’Oublié(e)
Created in 2012, the L’Oublié(e) company is directed by Raphaëlle Boitel, director and choreographer.
The Cie creates a physical language embedded in a visual universe written in the three dimensions of the stage and aimed at all audiences.
It blends different artistic disciplines: theater, circus, dance, music and film, through chiselled lighting work. Tragedy and comedy are brought together in a metaphorical writing style.
The creation of new apparatus, particularly in the aerial realm, renews traditional disciplines.
A team of creators forms the core of the company: Tristan Baudoin (scenography, lighting), Arthur Bison (music), Nicolas Lourdelle (machinery, set), Liliane Hérin (costumes).
Our partners
Cie L’Oublié(e) – Raphaëlle Boitel is subsidized by the Ministère de la Culture DRAC – Nouvelle-Aquitaine and supported by the Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine, the Département de la Dordogne and the town of Boulazac Isle Manoire.
Raphaëlle Boitel is an associate artist of l’Agora, pôle national Cirque de Boulazac and Équinoxe, scène nationale de Châteauroux.
Other partner theaters supporting the creations: Le Grand-T, théâtre de Loire-Atlantique, Le Carré Magique, PNC en Bretagne / Lannion, Le Grand R scène nationale de La Roche-sur-Yon, Le Carré Colonnes à St-Médard-en-Jalles et Blanquefort, Peak Performances, Montclair New Jersey (USA), Tandem Scène Nationale d’Arras, Château-Rouge Scène Conventionnée d’Annemasse, le Théâtre National de Nice, 2 Pôles Cirque en Normandie : La Brèche à Cherbourg et le Cirque-Théâtre d’Elbeuf.
Company members
Raphaëlle Boitel
Choreographer and director
Director and choreographer Raphaëlle Boitel has developed a hybrid style based on the fusion of the arts: at the crossroads of circus, dance and theater.
Raphaëlle began acting at the age of 6, and was spotted 2 years later by Annie Fratellini, who integrated her into the adult ranks of the Ecole Nationale des Arts du Cirque Fratellini. Raphaëlle met James Thierrée and worked with him from 1998 to 2010, performing in La Symphonie du Hanneton and La Veillée des Abysses.
In addition to her thirteen years of touring the world, Raphaëlle has performed in theater, film and television (directed by Marc Lainé, Lisa Guédy, Graham Eatough, Luc Meyer, Coline Serreau, Jean-Paul Scarpita…). She also takes part in events, shoots video clips and performs for long periods in New York, Miami, London…
In 2012, while working under the direction of Aurélien Bory in Géométrie de Caoutchouc, she founded her own company and worked on her first solo creations…
In 2013, she staged her first show, Consolations ou interdiction de passer par-dessus bord, and choreographed the opera Macbeth at La Scala in Milan, directed by Giorgio Barberio Corsetti.
She created The Forgotten in 2014, a large-scale “circus-theatre-choreography” show evoking grief. In 2015, she followed this up with Fierce 5, a second large-form work questioning perseverance, in a tribute to all circus families. Shortly afterwards, she choreographed the opera La Belle Hélène at the Théâtre du Châtelet, directed by Giorgio Barberio Corsetti and Pierrick Sorin.
In 2017, she wrote and performed a short-form solo The Black Beast, a metaphor for her past as a contortionist. That year, she also choreographed the baroque opera Alcione at L’Opéra comique, directed by Louise Moaty and conducted by Jordi Savall for the reopening of the Salle Favart.
She created her third big form in 2018: When Angels Fall, a dystopian play that questions human nature and its capacity for resilience.
In parallel with the dissemination of the Cie’s repertoire, she invented in 2019 a concept of free outdoor writing on heritage buildings: Horizon, at the Opéra National de Bordeaux.
In January 2020, she created One versus One, a show for young audiences freely inspired by the characters of Orpheus and Eurydice, questioning society’s stereotypes and patriarchal codes. In 2021, the show is developed in a live version, with an original string quartet. That same year, she also created The Cycle of Absurde, a graduation show for the 32nd class of the CNAC with 14 young artists, a circus-style nod to the thought of Albert Camus.
In November 2021, she will take this multi-disciplinary approach a step further with Shadows Cast, a piece about the unspoken and their influence on our psyche and life paths. She will reprise the Horizon project in 2022 at Périgueux’s Cathédrale Saint-Front, then in 2023 at the Palais-Royal.
And she’s already working on future projects…
Tristan Baudoin
Set and lighting designer
Tristan Baudoin grew up in an artistic environment. With a passion for the visual arts, at the age of 17 he began working in show business.
He trained mainly in lighting and stage techniques, and gained experience in live performance, television and events.
From 1998 onwards, he concentrated his activities on theater, music and dance, giving priority to creations, working with numerous artists in the Toulouse region.
In 2004, he met Aurélien Bory and joined Cie 111, with whom he made a full commitment, becoming their stage manager for over 10 years.
There, he developed his skills in scenography, machinery, flying and robotics, piloting the industrial robot in Sans Objet.
In 2011, he met Raphaëlle Boitel and decided to accompany her in her creations. He collaborates with her in the design, production, scenography, lighting and technical management of all her artistic projects.
Arthur Bison
Composer, musician
Arthur Bison began working at the age of 19 as a studio assistant to Dan Levy, composer of film and dance music and founding member of the band The Do.
Between 2006 and 2013, he took part in the recording of the film Darling and the award-winning albums A Mouthful and Both Ways Open Jaws. He follows the band on tour as a technician and stage manager.
At the same time, he began collaborating with choreographer Johanna Levy in 2008, composing and recording music for her pieces Hotel Mind (2008), After (2014) and Twist (2016).
He met Raphaëlle Boitel in 2011 and has since written and recorded music for her shows The Forgotten, 2014 – Fierce 5, 2015 – When Angels Fall, 2018 – One versus One, 2020 – The Cycle of Absurde, 2020 – Shadows Cast, 2021.
Nicolas Lourdelle
Machinery, hooks, set
Nicolas Lourdelle trained at the Centre National des Arts du Cirque de Châlons-en-Champagne, graduating from the 12th class with the show La tribu iota. At the same time, he took part in the creation of Cie Baro d’Evel Cirk.
In 2004, he met David Bobée, with whom he worked for 5 seasons. At the same time, he created Cie Bis Repetita, in which he invented self-supporting metal scenographic structures.
He also began working with Cie 111 – Aurélien Bory in 2006, and it was during these shows that he met Tristan Baudoin and then Raphaëlle Boitel.
In 2007, he began training in the techniques of hanging, lifting and suspending circus apparatus, notably as a rigger and rope walker.
He also works with the Pôle National Cirque d’Amiens where he teaches courses in hanging and lifting.
In 2017, Raphaëlle Boitel asked him to accompany her on the opera Alcione, which she choreographed at L’Opéra comique.
Since then, Nicolas has continued to work with Raphaëlle Boitel, accompanying her in all her personal creations.
Lilou Hérin
Costume designer, interpreter
Lilou Hérin is a regular on stage and on tour. Since 1998, she has worked mainly as a costume and props designer.
In 2006, she and Victoria Chaplin were awarded the Molière for the costumes in La Symphonie du Hanneton.
Until 2012, she participated in the creation of all James Thierrée’s shows, which she leaves to accompany Raphaëlle Boitel in her creations.
Since The Forgotten, in parallel with her costume work, she has joined the stage as a performer.
Since my first show, or through the operas I’ve collaborated on, I’ve sought to develop a choreographic language. This language is invented from relationships between people, from everyday life. It’s based on a vocabulary that blends dance, theater, cinema and circus material. I conjure up every emotion, virtuosity, contortion and connection between the performers, in a metaphorical style in which every detail counts, and which is expressed right down to the fingertips. This writing is built around a strong visual universe, which contributes to the dramaturgical framework, supported by extensive lighting work. Each of my projects is a stage in a “global” project to create this language of movement. A language that I hope will be a vehicle for reflection, wonder and emotion.