À LA GORGE

An impossible debate, a possible performance. During a sweltering summer in northern Lozère, a farmer spirals into a destructive downward spiral after his flock falls victim to a wolf attack. Following *Vacarme(s)*, which explored the plight of farmers, La Joie Errante tackles another divisive issue in agriculture with a sensitive production that closely reflects current challenges.
Julien, Marion and their daughter Louise rear 200 dairy ewes by the Altaret stream in Margeride. The work is hard, but a source of pride, and the farm gets by, for better or worse. Everything changes one night in June: the flock is attacked by a wolf. Through the intertwining perspectives of the farmer, the OFB officer and the wolf’s perspective, the company explores this highly contentious issue. We learn about the procedures involved, the role of the state, and the opposing camps that are taking shape. We also see the economic impact on an already vulnerable community, and the emotional shockwave – the suffering that isolates and blinds.

Drawing on recent data from the French Office for Biodiversity and reports from the National Wolf Action Plan, the play *À la gorge* anchors fiction in statistical reality. As in *Vacarme(s)*, it uses the tools of theatre to offer a nuanced and subtle approach to a conflictual situation and, perhaps, to open up avenues for reconciliation.

Ages 12 and over

Partnerships, inclusion in another organisation’s cultural season: Le Ciné-Théâtre 26/27 Performing Arts Season

DE THOMAS POUGET – CIE LA JOIE ERRANTE