All-French Production Takes the Stage at Colorado State University April 11-13

Colorado State University’s Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures presents the third all-French production: "Les Aventures de Yévi au Pays des Monstres" ("The Adventures of Yévi in the Land of the Monsters"), a one-act play by Togolese author Sénouvo Agbota Zinsou.

Performances are at 8 p.m. April 11 and 12, and 2 p.m. April 13 in Room 212 Eddy Hall on campus. The production is free and open to the public. Subtitles in English will be projected over the stage.

"Les Aventures de Yévi au Pays des Monstres" is a reworking of a folktale from the West African country of Togo. The play is about Yevi, a spider, and his best friend, a storyteller, whose village is suffering from famine. The friends set out on a quest for food and find themselves in the land where they can eat their fill. While collecting food, Yévi is caught and enslaved by the monsters that dwell there. Through the storyteller’s cunning and the help of a dim-witted sheep, Yévi escapes, only to find himself hungry again.

The actors, who hail from three different countries, include Colorado State students, alumni and a former faculty member. They all speak French, as do the dancers and the members of the crew. Rehearsals are held entirely in French. The comedy will incorporate live African drumming and dance, and actors will wear African-style clothing and masks.

The director, Sarah Dodson, teaches French at Colorado State; she previously directed Eugène Ionesco’s "La Cantatrice Chauve" ("The Bald Soprano") in French at Bas Bleu Theatre, and the "Bastille Day Cabaret" at Colorado State’s summer café theatre.

For more information, call Dodson at (970) 491-5510.