What should we do with our wounds?
The wound is the place where the light enters you.”
— Jalal al-Din Rumi
La Perle is a puppet and poetry performance for general audiences aged 10 and up, inspired by the philosophy of Jalal al-Din Rumi, the Persian poet, theologian, and mystic. It explores the transformation of pain through the presence of three versatile performers on stage. The words of the Persian mystic Jalal al-Din Rumi, marked by great simplicity, carry anessential truth: pain transforms us. He speaks of the patient labor of the oyster which, year after year, covers an irritating grain until it becomes a pearl, precious and resilient. From irritation, beauty is born; from trial, radiance emerges. This metamorphosis becomes the image of an inner journey. Suffering, a universal theme, runs through the centuries and across disciplines. My reflection stands in the legacy of Rumi and Viktor Frankl, for whom the search for meaning is the very foundation of human reconstruction. Pain is not only a burden; it can become a passage toward our deepest strengths. La Perle thus unfolds as a journey in seven tableaux — Pain, Denial, Acceptance, Quest, Transformation, Unity, Return to Life — moving from wound to rebirth. Inspired by the cultures of the Middle East and by the art of puppetry, the performance weaves together storytelling, music, and imagery to reveal how hardship can be transformed into strength and courage, like a pearl born from irritation.
direction, design & construction of puppets, costumes & scenography: Sayeh Sirvani, lighting: Jean-Yves Courcoux, sound: Julien Fezans, music: Eisa Zarei & Pouria Kashavarz, performers: Colline Caen, Myra Zbib, Sayeh Sirvani, artistic advisor: Coraline Charnet, assistant director & construction: Mathilde Nourrisson, external perspective: Marine Mane, dramaturgical advisor: Élise Blaché, acknowledgments: Yngvild aspeli, Coleen Charnolé & Enzo Broucke, production: 1001, co-productions: Figurteatret i Nordland – Norway, Espace 110 – Centre Culturel d’Illzach · Nationally recognized venue “Art and Creation”, Agence culturelle Grand Est, support: Le Tas de Sable – Ches Panses Vertes, National Puppet Center, Figurentheaterzentrum Westflügel, Leipzig, Germany, Les 2 Scènes – Scène nationale, Besançon, Quint’Est, live performance network Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Grand Est, Groupe des 20 Théâtres en Île-de-France, Théâtre Halle Roublot, DRAC Grand Est, Région Grand Est, City of Strasbourg, Compagnie du Théâtre de l’Entrouvert, Compagnie 1001 benefits from support from Région Grand Est within the framework of a three-year support for emerging artists (2023–2025) and from the INV’EST Asso program.