Italian-Belgian street theater company
The theatre company
The Belgian theater company La Grande Lézarde emerged in 2019 with a strong motivation to blend clowning, physical theater, magic, object manipulation, and music in an artistic-artisanal approach. Its new show, “Grandes Illusions,” offers a moment of escape from reality, nourishing the emotional being of the audience by presenting radiance of human beauty and fragility. It was created by the company’s founder, Miriam Vender.
Of Italian origin, Miriam began her journey into the world of clowning by encountering a series of teachers from all over the globe. In Italy, she acquired the basics from masters such as Jean Menningault, Pierre Byland, Leris Colombaioni, Emmanuel Lavallée, and Rita Pelusio. She then continued her journey in Belgium, crossing paths with Micheline Vandepoel, Carina Bonan, Tom Roos, Lory Leshi, Christophe Thellier, and Stephane Filloque. Next, she headed to Spain to explore the clowning universe with Eric de Bont and Virginia Imaz. In Luxembourg, she met Herve Langlois, and in France, she was inspired by the teachings of Emmanuel Sambeley and Fanny Giraud. Subsequently, her path led her to the International School of Comedic Acting SIAC in Reggio Emilia (Italy), and the “Escuela internacional de teatro Berti Tovias” in Barcelona (Spain). Miriam has also enthusiastically explored a multitude of dances and body movement techniques for over 25 years.
Today, she also practices the chromatic accordion and singing.
Grandes Illusions
In this clown solo, Merilyn draws on the audience’s energy to unleash, at a breathless pace, a series of mentalism, magic, and quick-change routines.
Driven by fierce perfectionism and overflowing ambition, she strives to defy the laws of the visible world.
The audience is swept into an absurd and chaotic escapade, constantly on the verge of slipping off the rails.
With humour and lightness, the show lays bare the uneasy confrontation with our most intimate ambitions.
Physical comedy, clowning, magic
Street arts (adaptable for indoor venues) / All audiences / Duration: 30 min
By and with: Miriam Vender
Outside eye and coaching: Gonzalo Alarcón (clown) and Miguel Cordoba (magic)
Scenography: Miriam Vender, Bernard Grimaldi, Le Vaisseau
Production: La Grande Lézarde
With the support of: La Roseraie, Le Vaisseau
Renata
Renata, a garbage-collector clown for more than thirty years, tirelessly pursues her mission: to clean up, to restore a bit of balance in a world saturated with waste. Her gestures, full of goodwill, collide with the absurdity of misguided political decisions, while plastics overflow, impose themselves, and assault. In her mission, plastic waste of all kinds becomes a partner: handled, repurposed, and shared, it turns cleaning into a burlesque battle.
From this chaos arise evocative images of a sacred, fragile, and precious environment—a world to protect, where hope is reborn.
Physical comedy, clowning, material manipulation, puppetry.
Street arts (adaptable for indoor venues) / All audiences / Duration: 30–40 min
By and with: Miriam Vender
Technical direction: Pierre Dethier
Outside eye: Xavier Bouvier (clown performance) and Paulo Santos (material and puppet manipulation)
Dramaturgical supervision: Hélène Pirenne
Music: Cyril Mossé
Scenography: Francisco Argüelles, Le Vaisseau, Miriam Vender
Production: …, Cie La Grande Lézarde, Festival Les Tailleurs
With the support of: …, Les Tailleurs, Puppetbuskersfestival, De Wolk (non-profit), Espace Marionnette, Bibliothèque Hergé, Clowns Without Borders, Le Vaisseau, La Roseraie
Technical sheet (PDF)
Contact
MIRIAM VENDER
GSM: +32 (0)486 39 98 06
E-MAIL: info@lagrandelezarde.com
Brussels