Jeanne Candel's 'Capra' Blends Dionysian Excess with Surreal Comedy at Avignon

At the 2026 Festival d'Avignon, director Jeanne Candel presents 'Capra (une chèvre)', a collective creation running from July 19 to 25 at the Gymnase du Lycée Mistral. The work draws on Frances Yates's 'The Art of Memory' and François le Lionnais's 'La peinture à Dora', a memoir of remembered paintings from deportation. Candel cites Dionysus as inspiration, but the show's actual focus is on dionysian overflow: a series of 'tragédies-portatives' that are absurd comedies, verging on clownish theatre. Scenes include entering a poetess's womb, Oedipus telling his story while a goat-barrow is milked, a troubadour cooking his heart on an iron, and two men in loincloths miming crucifixion. Live jazz by Thibault Perriard accompanies the action. While the intellectual references remain subtle, the production is praised for its liberated imagination and refined humor, offering a festive theatrical experience.