Opening Spectacle Expo.02

Eleven stories, eleven acts (just like in the circus!) introduce the audience to Expo.02. They experience our language conflicts, which are as old as the world; but the invention of interpreting spares us from divine punishment.

The themes of the four arteplages are presented in the form of myths: the creation of the first humans, the theft of fire, the punishment of Promethean defiance, the exchange of mortality for immortality.

The audience discovers the atmosphere and the spirit of the places that welcome them. It is here and there at the same time, as the spectacle takes place simultaneously in six locations: the Arteplage Neuchâtel, the Arteplage Biel-Bienne, the Arteplage Murten-Morat, the Arteplage Yverdon-les-Bains, and the Arteplage Mobile du Jura and on television (direct transmission by SSR-SRG Idée Suisse). Thanks to the Large Window - a giant screen - it can experience what is going on in other places and feel connected to the audience in other cities.

It is an extraordinary spectacle on the lake with professional actors, dancers, singers and musicians as well as over 1'000 amateur performers from the Three-Lakes Region.

Performances
14.05.2002
15.05.2002
16.05.2002

Seats
Arteplage Biel-Bienne: 5'000
Arteplage Murten-Morat: 3'500
Arteplage Neuchâtel: 4'000
Arteplage Yverdon-les-Bains: 5'000

Artistic team
François Rochaix, director
Jean-Claude Maret, set designer
Francine Lecoultre, costume designer
Valentin Reymond, musical director
Jacques Rouveyrollis, lighting design
Michel Colin, sound design
Leticia Rochaix, make-up

Artistic team Arteplage Biel-Bienne
Gisèle Sallin, director
Patrick Furrer, Conductor
Caroline Gut, Assistant Set Designer
Sybille Welti, Assistant Costume Designer
Irène Hausammann, Script
Bertrand Roulet, Choir & Rehearsal Director

Artistic team Arteplage Murten-Morat
Patrick Martignoni, Director
Hans Jakob Rüfenacht, Conductor
Pierre-André Chanez, Assistant Set Designer
Stéphane Riethauser, Script

Artistic team Arteplage Neuchâtel
Leland Patton, Director
Martin Pring, Conductor
Sylvie Kleiber, Assistant Set Designer
Marcia Corban, Script
Allardyce Mallon, Choir and Rehearsal Director

Artistic team Arteplage Yverdon-les-Bains
Roger Merquin, director
Valentin Reymond, Conductor
Magali Baud, Assistant Set Designer
Olivier Falconnier, Assistant Costume Designer
Pascal Züger, Script
Hélène Zambelli, Choir Director

Artistic Team Arteplage Mobile du Jura
François Cattin, Choir & Vocal Director
Marga Liskutin, Choir & Vocal Director

Texts
Maurice Chappaz
Philippe Cohen, author of Guignols de l’Expo
Robert Walser

Composers
Goran Bregovic, composer of «Hymne à la Nuit»
Jean-François Bovard, composer of «Naissance de l’inteprète» and «Les maîtres de l’Univers» (Arteplage Yverdon-les-Bains)
Erika Stucky, composer of «Chant des Sirenes»
Robert Morgenthaler, composer of «Mortalité contre immortalité» (Arteplage Murten-Morat) and the interlude «Les Trois Lacs»
Guy Bovet, composer of «L’inventeur de l’humanité» (Arteplage Neuchâtel) and «Les Guignols de l’Expo»
Sina, composer of «Le bienfaiteur puni» (Arteplage Biel-Bienne)
Markus Kühne, composer of «Le bienfaiteur puni» (Arteplage Biel-Bienne)
Pascal Auberson, composer of «Chanson polyglotte» and «Les mâitres de l’Univers» (Arteplage Mobile du Jura»
Youssou N’Dour, composer of «Chanson du Canton du Jura»

Performers Arteplage Biel-Bienne
Daniel Ludwig (Prometheus)
Sina (The Black Panther)
Nathalie Lannuzel (IO)
Gilles Tschudi (Hermes)
Paul Am Acher (The Accomplice)

Performers Arteplage Murten-Morat
Erika Stucky (Lilith)
Markus Mathis (The Little Storyteller)

Performers Arteplage Neuchâtel
Laurent Sandoz (Prometheus)
Ueli Locher (Epimetheus)
Dominique Gubser (IO)
Aline Garance Delaunay (Pandora)

Performers Arteplage Yverdon-les-Bains
Frank Rutishauser (Inflamed Prometheus)
Simone Kaiser (IO)
Bruno Balmelli (The Voice of Prometheus)
Caren van Oijen (The Voice of IO)

Performers Arteplage Mobile du Jura
Pascal Auberson (Odysseus)
Youssou N'Dour (Friend of Odysseus)
Gabriel Courvoisier (Telemachus)

Orchestra Arteplage Biel-Bienne
The Black Panther's Drummers
Biel Symphony Orchestra OGB

Orchestra Arteplage Murten-Morat
Murten Music School
Roots of Communication

Orchestra Arteplage Neuchâtel
Orchestre des Jardins Musicaux

Orchestra Arteplage Yverdon-les-Bains
Bovard Orchestra

Les Guignols de l'Expo.02 Arteplage Biel-Bienne
Fifi: Sara Barberis (mimicry) - Birgit Steinegger (voice)

Les Guignols de l'Expo.02 Arteplage Murten-Morat
Coucou: Markus Mathis (mimicry) - Jean-Michel Mattei (voice)

Les Guignols de l'Expo.02 Arteplage Neuchâtel
Coucou: Olivier Nicola (mimicry) - Jean-Michel Mattei (voice)
Mimi: Alfredo Gnasso (mimicry) - Jean-Michel Mattei (voice)
Popo: Khany Hamdaoui (mimicry) - Birgit Steinegger (voice)

Les Guignols de l'Expo.02 Arteplage Yverdon-les-Bains
Popo: Simone Kaiser (facial expressions) - Birgit Steinegger (voice)

Project management
Emmanuel Gétaz, Délégué Special Events
Véronique Maréchal, Assistante déléguée Special Events
Isabelle Collet, Artistic coordinator

Overall production management
Marc Lambelet, Production Manager
Ruedi Schweizer, Production Manager
Bernard Martinelli, Production Manager
Adrien Coendoz, Production Coordinator
Astrid Nou, General Stage Manager
Aurélie Mertenat, Artistic Coordination
Daphné Zumbrunnen, Staff Production
Marie-France Couture, Administration
Sibylle Schmidt, Administration

Production management Arteplage Biel-Bienne
Laurent Sandoz, Stage Manager
Frédéric Paladino, Technical Director
Bruno Girard, Stage Manager
Christopher Dutton, Stagehand
Daniel Hirschi, Stagehand
Frédéric Koenig, Stagehand
Barbara Schudel, Stagehand

Production management Arteplage Murten-Morat
Olivier Matthey, Stage manager
Régis le Norcy, Technical director
René Périsset, Stage manager
Stéphane Riethauser, Production assistant
Patrick Burnier, Stagehand
Ridha Jemili, Stagehand
Martial Lambert, Stagehand
Nicolas Pilet, Stagehand
Serse Zilocchi, Stagehand

Production management Arteplage Neuchâtel
François Mottier, Stage manager
Didier Rossat, Technical director 
Michel Jarrin, Stage manager
Pascal Magnin, Production assistant
Fabien Campoy, Stagehand
Alexandre Pauthier, Stagehand
John Roguet, Stagehand
René Schnee, Stagehand
Nicolas Tagand, Stagehand

Production management Arteplage Yverdon-les-Bains
Marcel Challet, Stage manager
Laurent Cauvain, Technical director
Christian Souyri, Stage manager
Laure Diserens, Production assistant
Mouldi Ben, Stagehand
Jérôme Loth, Stagehand
Manuel Moro, Stagehand
Jean-Luc Mutrux, Stagehand
Jérôme Thiebaud, Stagehand

Production management Arteplage Mobile du Jura
Philippe Laedermann, Stage manager

Stage/Audience stands
Alexandre Forissier, Stage engineer
Jean Kittel, Architect

Technics
Alain Schneebeli, Technical coordination
Patrick Vogelsang, Technical coordination
Roland Morvan, Lighting technician