For Immediate Release: September 19, 2006
Media Contact: Tyler Melchior, 1812 Productions, 215.592.9560

As the first production in its 10th Anniversary Season, 1812 Productions is pleased to offer a stunning work by one of Philadelphia’s most celebrated artists. Emmanuelle Delpech-Ramey performs her beloved work Madame Douce-Amere from October 6th to October 29th, 2006 at the Walnut Street Theatre Independence Studio on 3. Tickets to Madame Douce-Amere range from $10 to $32 and are available through 1812 Productions’ box office at (215) 592-9560 or online at www.1812productions.org.

Madame Douce-Amere began her journey in 2000 when Emmanuelle Delpech-Ramey and Celine Rames, one of the show’s original directors, began collaborating on performance styles based in sign language. Through the evolution of their work together, the intricacy of the signed word blossomed into a full vocabulary of physical gestures—not specific to deaf or hearing audiences, but a language of movement that is accessible to all. “There is a certain physical language that all people use,” says Delpech-Ramey. “Even something as simple as nodding to say “yes”, this is part of a complete movement vocabulary that everybody uses to communicate what words cannot—or to communicate what we don’t necessarily feel comfortable saying.” In Madame Douce-Amere, this universal language becomes the path through which the audience travels into the world of this eccentric old woman with a penchant for bananas, yogurt, and nosing through other people’s purses!

Madame Douce-Amere is the story of an old woman haunted by the ghost of her beloved musician husband. Philadelphia musician and actor James Sugg joins Delpech-Ramey on stage, in this new production, to provide the musical spirit of the companion she’s lost. It is precisely this loss that drives her toward the joy and intimacy she misses. Her need for happiness spills over from the stage into the audience as Douce-Amere pokes, cajoles, and noses her way through these visitors in her home, making the audience a co-conspirator in her hi-jinks. “She is free to behave however she chooses,” says Delpech-Ramey. “She is eccentric and sincere and even a little rude. This is the beauty of becoming old—you have nothing to prove.” The ease with which Douce-Amere moves in her own skin is a quick ice-breaker for audiences. “Most people are so guarded that it is funny to see a person behave in the ways that she does, without inhibition. The audience comes into a very real world. And their presence and action are necessary. Douce-Amere is very aware of her own reality so there is no façade that the audience must help maintain. She needs their intimacy and will nudge and coax to get it!”

Madame Douce-Amere is a story built around the inevitability of joy. Using the simplest of movements, miming, and sign language, Delpech-Ramey and Sugg create a multi-layered world through which performer and spectator meet on even ground for a performance unlike any other. “Madame Douce-Amere is a really unique piece,” says 1812 Productions’ Artistic Director Jennifer Childs. “Emmanuelle creates such a complete character who brings an atmosphere of mischief and unbounded joy into the theater. While there is much laughter shared by audience and performer, the overall experience, however, is surprisingly intimate. Every audience member has their own personal experience with this show, because there is a silence that allows everyone to connect to their own memories. The work is stunning and I am so proud to have it as a part of our season.”

Cast & Crew

Emmanuelle Delpech-Ramey (Co-Creator & Performer): Emmanuelle was classically trained at the École Superieur d’Art Dramatique de la ville de Paris, and studied physical theatre at École Jacques Lecoq. Besides her current U.S. work with Pig Iron Theatre, Emmanuelle has performed in Paris and throughout Europe in such productions as Lettres à Stalingrad. A former member of Pig Iron Theatre Company, Emmanuelle was co-creator of and a performer in such critically acclaimed productions as Gentlemen Volunteers, Flop!, Hell Meets Henry Halfway, and James Joyce is Dead and so is Paris, for which she won a Barrymore Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical. A native of France, Emmanuelle currently lives and works in Philadelphia and was most recently seen in Voices Underwater at Gas & Electric Arts.

James Sugg (Co-Creator & Performer): James is an actor, sound designer, composer/musician who draws from all three disciplines while doing any one of these jobs. He is a member of Pig Iron Theatre Company and has worked with The Wilma, The Arden Theatre, Seattle Rep, Actors Theater of Louisville, Folger Theater, Lucidity Suitcase Intercontinental, Princeton University, Freedom Theatre, UArts, and Lantern Theatre. His work has been recognized with four Barrymores for Outstanding Sound Design and the F. Otto Haas Award for Emerging Theater Artist. Most recently, he composed country/bluegrass tunes for the Mark Twain musical A Murder, a Mystery and a Marriage and has just performed his rock and roll song cycle The Sea as part of this year’s LiveArts Festival.

David Brick (Director): David is Co-Director of Headlong Dance Theater, a collaborative, contemporary dance company based in Philadelphia. Since 1993, headlong has created over forty dances, many of which are known for their witty take on contemporary culture. Headlong has performed nationally and internationally with an array of work that springs from a deep commitment to collaboration, humor, and formal experimentation. In 1999 Headlong received a Bessie (New York Dance and Performance) Award for choreography for their program, ST*R W*RS AND OTHER STORIES performed at New York’s Dance Theatre Workshop. David teaches contact improvisation at the Parlor in Philadelphia and dance composition at Bryn Mawr College.

Company History

Artistic Director Jennifer Childs and Resident Artist Pete Pryor founded 1812 Productions in the spring of 1998 with a goal to entertain and educate audiences through comedy, and to support and hire local artists. Philadelphia Weekly named 1812 Productions the “Theatre Company of the Year 2002-2003”. At the close of the 2002-2003 season, 1812 Productions was the recipient of eight nominations and two wins at the Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre. 1812 Productions received eight Barrymore Award nominations for its 2004-2005 season. Their education program, 1812 Outreach, received four consecutive nominations and been awarded once the Barrymore Award for Excellence in Theatre Education and Community Service. On April 20, 2005, 1812 Productions received an honorary citation from the City of Philadelphia for outstanding work and commitment to the Philadelphia arts community. 1812 Productions, while continually on the search for a permanent home, continues to perform at various locations around Philadelphia.

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