“ In 49 minutes, 39 seconds and three hundredths, exact duration of the soundtrack, an idea of America collapses and an ideal of theater asserts itself. On the stands, we are seized by the beauty of the gesture, a way of honoring the text, of translating its heterogeneity, of serving its intelligence.” Alexandre Demidoff, Le Temps

“ one can detect in Pierre Dubey's show a broader meaning than his mere purpose: because he favors ingenuity over the snuff, because he uses the image only to submit it, because he never lets the meaning dissolve in the form, no "merchant" deviation - as one bargains a body that would be that of the theater - affects its foundations.” Lionel Chiuch Actor

Contact: Sarah Pillow

phone: 212 445 0045 - email: sarah@buckyballmusic.com

For the 20th commemoration of the attack on the Twin Towers in New York, MetaTheatre produced a version of Michel Vinaver's "11 September 2001”. This ingenious play, written in both French and English, uses as its source material only the written and spoken words from the press, politicians, and witnesses of this dramatic event.

The play is set as an oratorio where the music is the continuous pace through which the actors/singers deliver the one hour play. It received rave reviews at the time and there is a plan in place to produce it in New York for the 25th commemoration.

The show is a multimedia event mixing acting, singing, video and music that takes you through the fateful hours of that day. Although the writer Michel Vinaver is French, he worked as the CEO of Gilette in the U.S. earlier in his life, so he was well versed in both American and French culture. The play makes you aware of the international scale of the event, as every word is spoken in both French and English, one being spoken live on stage while the other is part of the soundtrack. The play profoundly captures the deep humanity within people, demonstrating that the impact of the attacks extended far beyond New York, touching the entire world. Through its poignant narrative and characters, the play underscores the shared human experience and collective grief that transcended geographical boundaries, illustrating how a single event united the global community.

I consider that Michel Vinaver's theater is a

of the most creative of his time. An extreme comic,

like that of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton or

Jacques Tati, a burlesque made of words and meaning

who collide, cross paths and call out to each other.

Pierre Dubey

The Intention

At its origin lies an opera libretto written by Michel Vinaver in the weeks following the collapse of the Twin Towers. It is a remarkable and unique work—bilingual, choral, and recitative, both an imitation and a composition, offering a profound exploration of the event.

In his initial approach, Vinaver bears witness, “fixing” the event against the erosion of memory. Without proselytizing or seeking to convince, he conveys the words of victims, witnesses, journalists, instigators, and terrorists.

In a second step, he composes these voices, drawing fragments from daily press reports. From this emerges Vinaverian connections, revealing new layers of meaning in reality.

Until now, this text has remained a primarily theatrical piece. Pierre Dubey has now reclaimed it, steering it back toward its original form as an oratorio, enriched by a custom musical score composed by New York-based musician Marc Wagnon.

On stage, the actors perform live French translations of the original American text—a fusion of imitation and composition, embodying the essence of Le Métathéâtre, Dubey’s company, which moves between New York and Geneva, between English and French.

The audience is immersed in these voices, experiencing the event from within. Suddenly, the chorus interrupts, much like the ancient Greek choir, bearing omens and warnings—yet unheard.

More than just a theatrical piece, this is a reflection on theater itself and an inquiry into our collective memory of the event.

Excerpts

Female voice

My name’s Katherine Ilachinski I’m seventy

I’m an architect

My office is

I should say was

On the ninety-first floor of 2 World Trade Center

The south tower that is

That was

I was knocked off my chair by the blast of heat

exploding from the neighboring tower

What should I do? It’s them not us

nevertheless

I figured get out fast

So I went for the stairs

Other female voice

My name’s Judy Wein

Same tower one hundred and third floor

I suppose I screamed I set off too

Male voice

My name’s Nat Alcamo

Working with Morgan Stanley

I’d been on the phone with my fiancee

She told me to flee

As I made my way down

I ignored the official with the megaphone

on the forty-fourth floor who said

Go back up you’re safe here

Moments later my tower was struck

I went down three steps at a time

Flying

Pierre Dubey

Director, actor, clown, and educator, Pierre Dubey has been a long-time interpreter of Michel Vinaver’s work, exploring the possibilities of the French playwright’s theater for nearly 40 years. Their collaboration began in 1979 when Dubey played Philippe in Dissident, il va sans dire, and their connection remained strong through ongoing meetings and correspondence.

In the early 1980s, Dubey assisted Maurice Béjart on three Molière productions at the Comédie-Française. In 1982, he directed his first professional production, Dehors, devant la porte by Wolfgang Borchert, staged in the ruins of the ancient thermal city of Yverdon. Twice a recipient of the Migros Federation’s Acting Scholarships, he continued his training at H.B. Studio in New York, where he wrote and directed La Décadanse de Juliette et Roméo in Geneva, staging it under a geodesic dome. This marked the birth of his company, Le Métathéâtre.

Dubey then trained with Ariane Mnouchkine at Théâtre du Soleil in Paris and later joined Théâtre du Phénix, where Philippe Hottier introduced him to clowning and performance techniques. With this troupe, he performed in Chekhov’s Ivanov at the Théâtre de la Cité universitaire de Paris.

Back in Geneva, Le Métathéâtre settled in the industrial spaces of the former SIP factory, and Dubey directed several productions at the Théâtre du Grütli, including L’Émission de télévision and Le Dernier Sursaut by Michel Vinaver, as well as Les Précieuses ridicules by Molière, L’Amour du Monde by C. F. Ramuz, and original works such as Les Clonadopékos and Ménage & Bricolage.

A pivotal moment in his artistic journey was meeting Thomas Ostermeier, director of Berlin’s Schaubühne, which deepened his theatrical exploration. Under Ostermeier’s direction, he performed Vasistas (inspired by Karl Valentin) and Recherche Faust-Artaud. Upon returning to Geneva, he launched L’Atelier des clowns, a training program for actors at Théâtre du Grütli.

His solo show, Daisy Madonna, directed by legendary clown Jango Edwards, was performed across Europe for nearly 20 years. In 2016, he invited Michel Vinaver to read his last play, Bettencourt Boulevard ou une histoire de France. This led to the foundation of TAMCO, an artistic experimentation space, co-created with Eric Devanthéry, Xavier Fernandez-Cavada, Erika Von Rosen, and Yvan Rihs.

Dubey played the title role in L’Homme Qui Rit, a solo directed by Eric Devanthéry based on Victor Hugo, and also appeared in Les Misérables, which was selected for the Swiss Theater Meetings 2019. In 2020, he portrayed Arlequin in Marivaux’s La Fausse Suivante at the Théâtre de Carouge, directed by Jean Liermier.

From 2020 to 2022, Dubey created a trilogy of Michel Vinaver’s plays: L’Ordinaire (2020), 11 septembre 2001 (2021) and Les Troyennes (2022)

Le Métathéâtre

Founded by Pierre Dubey, Le Métathéâtre is a company bringing together around twenty artists from Geneva and New York.

Company History & Notable Productions

• 1982 – Dehors, devant la porte by Wolfgang Borchert, Rotonde de la Cité des Bains, Yverdon

• 1984 – À bout de souffle en super 8, 8mm film, New York

• 1985 – Rehearsing Love, 8mm film and video, New York

• 1986 – La Décadanse de Juliette et Roméo, dramatic poem staged under a geodesic dome, Square des Philosophes, Geneva

• 1987 – L’Enfance de l’Art, video, Crassier Pedagogical Center

• 1989 – Pinson, video, Yverdon

• 1990 / 1994 – Les Clonadopekos, a manifesto for 2 clowns and 2 musicians, Théâtre de l’Usine & Théâtre du Grütli

• 1992 – L’Émission de Télévision by Michel Vinaver, Théâtre du Grütli

• 1994 – Le Dernier Sursaut by Michel Vinaver & Les Précieuses Ridicules by Molière, Théâtre du Grütli

• 1995 – L’Amour du Monde by C. F. Ramuz, film and stage production, Théâtre du Grütli

• 1996 – L’Atelier des Clowns 1 & 2, educational programs, Théâtre du Grütli

• 1997 – Ménage & Bricolage, a play for 7 clowns, Théâtre du Grütli

• 1998 – La Maison d’Été by Boris Vian, a collage of Vian’s works, Théâtre du Grütli

• 1999-2017 – Daisy Madonna, solo clown performance, toured in Switzerland, France, and Russia

• 2003 – Il est interdit de faire le clown dans l’entreprise, Théâtre du Clédard, Vallée de Joux

• 2007 – Du sexe, merci juste un nuage, co-production with Cavale, Théâtre Pitoëff

• 2012 – Contre le progrès, Contre l’amour, Contre la démocratie by Esteve Soler, co-production with Théâtre du Grütli

• 2016 – La Visite du Chancelier autrichien en Suisse by Michel Vinaver, reading, Tamco, Geneva

• 2020 – L’Ordinaire (Vinaver Trilogy, Part 1), Tamco, Geneva

• 2022 – 11 septembre 2001 (Vinaver Trilogy, Part 2), Tamco, Geneva

• 2023 – Les Troyennes d’après Euripide (Vinaver Trilogy, Part 3), Tamco, Geneva

• 2023 – Poésie ukrainienne (Projet dans les rues de Genève) Tamco, Geneva

• 2024 – L’homme qui rit (d’après le roman de Victor Hugo) Tamco, Geneva

• 2024 – Daisy moi non plus, hommage à Jango Edwards (Pierre Dubey, Jango Edwards, Robert Nortik) Tamco, Geneva

Le Métathéâtre continues to explore the boundaries between theater, film, and performance, engaging in experimental and cross-cultural productions that bridge New York and Geneva.

View full live show