_JEANNE_DARK_ is the name of 16-year-old Jeanne’s Instagram account. Jeanne comes from a Catholic family and lives in a lower middle-class area in a suburb of Orléans. For the last few months, she’s been subjected to malicious jibes about her virginity from her fellow students. One night, alone in her room, she decides she won’t stay quiet any longer: she speaks up and she does it live on Instagram. In front of the mirror, which her smartphone serves as, she tells the story of and invents herself, dances, films, explodes, and transforms herself, switching between undressing and playing a character.
This second collaboration between the French theatre maker Marion Siéfert and dancer, choreographer and performer Helena de Laurens is a show that takes place on stage and on social media at the same time, on the Instagram Account @_jeanne_dark_. The idea was developed long before the COVID-19 pandemic and follows the question of how it is possible to extend the theatre into the interactive space of social media. The performance, which premiered on October 2, 2020 at the Théâtre La Commune in Aubervilliers, provides an impressive answer to this question. _JEANNE_DARK_ is the fourth play by director and writer Marion Siéfert and won the award for the best digital performance of the Professional Federation of the Drama, Dance and Music Criticism.
Content Warning: Mature audiences only. Includes strong language, sexual content, and discussion of violence.
This is Marion Siéfert’s second appearance at Seuls en Scène. In 2020 with Matthieu Bareyre she presented their film documenting the rehearsal process of Du Sale!
“What I find interesting is that in the theatre we can see that she is expending a lot of energy. Helena is a very physical person, both a dancer and an actress who is very much at ease with her body. I thought it would be interesting to see the postures she adopts while her eyes are entirely occupied by the screen. She crawls, she runs, she fidgets. She’s full of movements that are not visible on the screen. Even though she is fixated on Instagram, this is still a theatrical performance.”
— Marion Siéfert
Join the Event
The screening of this filmed performance is free and open to Princeton students, faculty and staff. Advance registration is required.
COVID-19 Guidance + Updates
Per Princeton University policy, all audiences attending indoor events are required to be fully vaccinated and to wear a mask. Visitors may attend outdoor events and are not required by current University policy to attest to COVID-19 vaccination or wear a face covering.
Accessibility
The filmed performance is in French with English subtitles. Visit our Venues and Studios section for accessibility information at our various locations. Attendees in need of access accommodations are invited to contact the Lewis Center at least two weeks in advance at LewisCenter@princeton.edu.
