I hope that the work we produce, whether it’s a show or a training session is bringing some good into the world. One of my favorite moment when touring is to come out at the end and meet the audience and hear their responses… And if they leave with a smile on their face and a tear in the eye then we have done our job.
As a part of our series about “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became An Artist” I had the pleasure of interviewing Guillaume Pigé.
Guillaume Pigé is an actor, director, mime and magician. Originally from France, he has been living in the UK for the past 14 years. He established ‘Theatre Re’ in 2011 and has directed each of the company’s productions to date. He trained with theatre-makers and directors such as Andrew Visnevski, Steven Wasson, Corinne Soum, Daniel Stein and Thomas Leabhart.
Rooted in Etienne Decroux’s Corporeal Mime, his practice takes inspiration from science, philosophy, psychology and public health to address global human challenges through moving and visually striking poetic theatre. His work was performed in more than fifteen countries, notably at The Cerventino Festival (Mexico), Hong Kong Arts Festival (China), New Victory Theater (USA), National Taichung Theatre (Taiwan) and London International Mime Festival (UK).
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
Well, hopefully I haven’t… too much!
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
For me it started with magic. When I was about 10, my older brother had a friend who could do some tricks. Sadly, I was never there to see the tricks, and I was relying on my brother to tell me exactly what had happened, which probably made it even more spectacular, mysterious and enticing. Little by little I started to learn how to do a few things myself and I became a magician.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
It might not be the most interesting but it’s definitely one of the most important for me. When I was 18, I met a former student of Etienne Decroux (father of modern mime). His name was Daniel Stein and I had the chance to train with him for a few weeks. This encounter changed my life because thanks to him and his teaching, I discovered that the actor could have a craft — just like musicians and dancers do. Also, Actors did not have to just be the interpreters of someone else’s vision. They could be the poet. I was hooked and some of the realisations and discoveries from that time still carry me today.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? Where can people see them?
Over the next 12 months we will be touring 4 shows from our company’s repertoire in the UK and internationally — this includes 3 previously created pieces and 1 new production. This is a huge undertaking and we cannot wait to share it all with the world. All pieces are very different from each other, but they all showcase our unique trademark style bringing together original live music and striking visual performance. All upcoming tours will be announced here: https://www.theatrere.co.uk/diary.html
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
I feel fortunate in the sense that I meet fantastic people all the time, especially during training sessions. On top of making and touring work, one of our main focus as a company is participation. We collaborate with leading drama schools in the UK and Internationally. We also work with schools up and down the country. This is an essential part of our life and the people we meet and work with during these sessions are always endlessly inspiring.
Where do you draw inspiration from? Can you share a story about that?
From the people I collaborate with. For me theatre is about developing empathy and brining people together. I love seeing a group of people coming together and making something that did not exist before and could not have existed had these individuals not joined forces.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
I hope that the work we produce, whether it’s a show or a training session is bringing some good into the world. One of my favorite moment when touring is to come out at the end and meet the audience and hear their responses… And if they leave with a smile on their face and a tear in the eye then we have done our job.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
Take your time. Because there is no rush.
Trust the process. Because the end destination is not that important.
Find what brings you joy. Because otherwise it’s too hard.
Everything is a good idea. Because you cannot do an analyse at the same time.
Keep moving. Because everything is a good idea.
If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
15 minutes of singing and dancing for everyone, everyday.
We have been blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she just might see this.
I would love meet Teddy Riner. I am not too much into Judo… But what an absolute champion!
What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?
https://www.instagram.com/theatrere/
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
Guillaume Pigé: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became An Artist was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.