COMPAGNIE PELELE: THE ARTISTS

Paz Tatay

She studied music - violin and flute - in Spain, where she was born.
In 1988, she began working with puppets in Madrid in the Municipal workshop of the old slaughterhouses, where sets, masks, carnival floats are built and where the gigantes (large paper figures prepared for the festivities) are kept.
1989: she founded the string puppet company Marionetas del Matadero with Luis Montoto. Together they created the show "Concertino" and went to Czechoslovakia where they studied traditional string puppets from Central Europe with Jaroslav Bleha at the Lidovske Muzeum in Brno and their wooden sculpture at the workshops of the Prague puppet school.
In 1992, during a tour in Italy, they met the masters of the Pulcinella, traditional puppets from southern Italy, and became interested in glove puppets. They created the show "Tauromaquia".
In 1996, Paz arrived alone in Toulouse, where she founded her own company, Pelele ("puppet" in Spanish). She created a 15-minute performance, "Cirque de passage", for string puppets.
1998: Creation of "La Muerte de Don Cristobal" in glove puppet in a booth, based on the figure of the immemorial Iberian Punchinello celebrated by Federico Garcia Llorca, then forgotten. The show works on traditional figures by revisiting them: Punchinello, the Old Woman, Death...
From 1999 to 2001, she joined the Czech company Karromato in the show "Circo de Madera" in string puppets.
2005: Creation of "A la dérive" for hand puppets and shadow theater.
2009: Creation of "Les funestes épousailles de Don Cristobal", second part of the adventures of Punchinello.
Award for best interpretation and Award of the programmers of the autonomous regions
Fira de Titelles de Lérida, Spain - 2014
Luk-Vincent Award for the best show
Puppetbuskersfestival, Gent, Belgium - 2013
Award for the most original show
International Puppet Festival Lutke, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 2010
Pri "Best actor" 36th Festival Valise, Lomza Poland 2023
2015: Creation of the show "Au bout du Fil", string puppets on a track, on the theme of the circus
2024- 26: Creation of the show "Baobab" adaptation of a traditional African story

Yannick Harnois

He began to play acordeon at the age of 10 years old. After , he estudy clasical acordeon at the Tolouse and Perpignan’s conservatory for clasical music and Jazz music at the school INFIM-CIM in Paris. Allways play for live shows an his experience is very large : Dancing concerts, Operette, theater, danse, cabaret shows, street’s performances, childrens performances, puppets shows.

Angel Navarro

Founder of the Teatro Saco de Huesos Company. A puppeteer, director, and puppet’s constructor for over 15 years. He studied theater at the Victor Hernandez School in Barcelona and trained as a puppeteer at Pepe Otal's House-Workshop. He has created several original shows: “Manca in the Dunes”,” Gabinete Onírico”, and “Gildo, an Artist Between Dreams”, with which he has traveled around the world. He collaborated with various companys as a set and puppeteer, including Mimaia Teatro for their show Adios Bienvenida and Zero en Conducta for Brigitte's Last Dance. He also worked as a set designer and puppeteer for the audiovisual industry, with the short film Guirilandia (awarded the Prague Puppet Festival Prize) and with the Catalan television channel TV3 and its show Sense Ficció. He develops and workshops for puppets manipulation and constructions.

François Boutibou

With a guitar as his third hand, he taught himself in many areas to perfect his desires and needs: accordion, keyboard, percussion, clarinet, voice, studio, and anything that makes sound. To better understand the world of live performance, he set up big tops, worked as a sound and lighting engineer, and much more. Over time, he developed new ways of composing, performing, and delivering music and sound effects in shows. After twenty years of traveling, meeting people, trying new things, failing, and succeeding, he now devotes himself solely to composition and live performance, putting his sensitivity to the service of texts and performances with a human touch!

Laurie Cannac

Trained at the Théâtre-Ecole du Passage, under the direction of Niels Arestrup and Alexandre Del Perugia, she learned puppetry while performing in the street.
She created her own company “Graine de Vie” and her first show: L'Homme de la Manche.
In 2004, she created second show ”Petits Rêves faits main”.
Her encounter with Ilka Schönbein immersed Laurie in the very unique approach of the German virtuoso puppeteer, who taught her her techniques as well as her approach to directing and dramaturgy.
From this collaboration resulted two shows inspired by fairy tales: “Faim de Loup” and “Queue de Poissonne” with Ilka Schönbein.
In 2017, she created Blanche Ebène, a personal creation enriched by all these experiences. As an associate artist at the Deux Scènes-Scène nationale de Besançon from 2019 to 2021, she created with Ilka JeveuxJeveuxJeveux, a poetic exploration of the Anthropocene for young audiences.
Her need for renewal then led her to partner with dancer-choreographer Andy Scott Ngoua. Together, they created La Langue des Cygnes in 2023, combining their puppet dance with French Sign Language, video, and live music, at the Mouffetard-Centre National de la Marionnette in Paris.
In 2024, Laurie directed Invisible Stories, a Franco-Bangladeshi creation.
Alongside her company's creations, she supports other women artists in their creations, such as Paz Tatay and Compagnie Pelele.

They played with us

Marie de Nazelle

Works with puppets since 2002. She creates her company " Pil poil au millimètre " in 2007 and joins the Company Pelele in 2009 for the creation of the show " Catastrophic courtship of Don Cristobal ".after She participate in the show "on the string", She left the company for new adventures in 2021.

Alice Behague

She began Playing with Pelele from almost the begining , and was the musicien until 2014. She composed the music for the show "Cathastrophinc courtship of Don Cristobal" .She play with several bands of music .

Christophe Sabatié

Is an accordeonist player and works with the Company Pelele since 2007. He conceives the music of the last show,playing also with masks and the sound effects to give atmosphere and rhythm. He works also with several musical formations.
He leave Pelele company in 2023 for new adventures .