What is your artistic background ?
After studying literature with preparatory classes in Toulouse, I entered the École Normale Supérieure de la Rue d'Ulm in Paris in 2013 (with a theatre module) and then, in 2017, the school of the Théâtre National de Strasbourg, directed by Stanislas Nordey (in the directing section). I approached theatre from a theoretical angle during my studies, while practising as an actor at the conservatoires of Paris. I had an epiphany when I discovered that directing, and particularly directing actors, allowed me to express something that was both sensitive and intelligible. Over the course of my experiences, this became the focus of my research and a constant principle of my work: to go beyond the dualism of body/mind, to link thoughts and sensations, to explore a form of life that is more intense and more attentive to the world around it. Spanish speakers use the word "sentipensar" - "to feel-think", which gives an idea of the path to follow. I have developed a taste for poetic theatre that draws on texts to develop a particular sensorial approach. My curiosity leads me wherever I recognise a language that offers a renewed experience of the world. This was the focus of my show Terre Promise in 2020, an adaptation of Maurice Maeterlinck's Les Aveugles and Fernando Pessoa's Le Marin. And today, my collaboration with the author Nicolas Girard-Michelotti, which led to the creation of Paysage de Pluie in March 2024, is a way of exploring other ways of creating together, to imagine alternative narratives about the disasters (environmental, economic, social, political) that are underway.

How do you view your profession today ?
After a few creative experiences and being aware of my status as an "emerging artist", I have come to realise the extent to which the job of director involves responsibilities that are not limited to the artistic sphere. It is a job of management, administration and long-term support. As such, I find that the profession is subject to a lot of pressure: limited working time, less leeway to make mistakes, the injunction to "put on a show" while maintaining the vitality of artistic research, competition from one’s milieu, reduced public subsidies, fragility linked to the conditions of emergence, etc. As a result, I perceive a certain atomisation in the milieu which threatens the collective dimension of our professions. But it is also in the possibility of putting teams together that I find the strength to maintain a desire to create and to resist artistically. The fledgling Lichka company that I founded with author Nicolas Girard-Michelotti is looking at new ways for artists to collaborate. I am also part of an international collective of actors and directors called Body Politic, with whom I am developing a wide range of cultural initiatives and a long-term creative process. I am also currently working with - and for - the composer and percussionist Gaspar José, writing a one-man theatre show inspired by the folk guitarist Nick Drake. This creation is an opportunity for a rich dialogue between Gaspar's musical practice and my theatrical practice. For me, directing is increasingly becoming a way of orchestrating artistic encounters and dialogues, building and nurturing relationships.

How do you see yourself in 5 years ? In 10 years ?
It is impossible to say! I am not in the habit of making predictions about my own life, so when it comes to my work... I move forward as I meet new people : what interests me is continuing to develop these forms of artistic cooperation that will prevent me from wanting to do it alone, and that will encourage me to share my practice with others. It's essential for me to come face to face with otherness in the creative process, so that I can invent new perspectives from there.  

This interview was conducted in 2024​
Photography credit : Lys Arango 2024