However they are most renowned for making small theatre spaces in customised caravans and adapting children?s fairy tales from old 45 RPM records, creating an intimate atmospheric environment that can perform anywhere.
The first tale, “The Little Red Riding Hood” was created in 2002 in Aurillac, and toured extensively throughout Europe. Due to its success 5 others have taken to the roads, “Sleeping Beauty”, “The Little Match Girl”, “Blue Beard”, “Beauty and the Beast” and most recently “Puss in Boots” and are collectively known as “Ze Patrecathodics”. The stories are originally in French, but have been translated into English in 2009 allowing the caravans to cross many borders!
In 2005 the company produced its second show, “Kamikaze?” again using puppets and objects but this time designed for an adult audience using very little text, and created to perform in theatre friendly spaces. It was written, performed and directed by Cédric Hingouët and first performed at the Boufou Théâtre in Hennebont, Brittany. Since its inception it has toured in France, Belgium and England (amongst other countries) in festivals such as Festival “Méliscènes” march 2006, “Festival International de Charleville” in September 2006 and “Festival les Plans d’Avril” in Paris in April 2008 to name but a few.
Between 2007 and 2009 2 new projects were written but this time for a younger public; “Billy The Kid” and “Formule 1”. Both with no text but highly visual using puppets, objects, humans and live or recorded sound. Formule 1 also ran workshops at the beginning of rehearsals in order to involve the local schools in its creation.
Another project is “MOB”, a family street show for an audience of 6 to 600 people, again using no text but with a strong musical score, a caravan and Mobylettes! (French mopeds). It first toured in Normandy in October 2009 at the festival ?Tam-Tam?and was created at ?Les Ateliers du Vent? in Rennes.
The most recently poject is The Lost Ball. It was created in England on a Sea Change Arts Tour in July 2013. Scopitone & Cie is now a Zepa Company. The show is a collaborative performance based on the improvisatory and street skills of the two performers. The idea is to create and live an artistic experience with the locals, the two performers will stay in the game and not leave their roles.
This “happening” will allow the public to share the quirky world, identity and aesthetics of Scopitone and company.
This collaborative process will take a minimum of 3 days to form and develop, the result of which will be a ball where everyone is welcome to dance and enjoy the festivities
Since 2005 the company has received funding from Conseil Regional de Bretagne, Conseil General de Morbihan and DRAC.