We're prepping Serge's apartment on OtB's Mainstage Theater right now, so here's a little info on Vivarium Studio to help prep you for the performance this weekend:

1. Vivarium Studio is lead by director Philippe Quesne. In the past few years he has become reknowned for his combination of set design and storytelling.

2. The name Vivarium Studio is a reference to the kinds of terrarium-like sets that the company creates. In L’Effet de Serge this is seen in the apartment that’s recreated on stage, but in other pieces this has even involved snowy outdoor scenes. Visit vivariumstudio.net to see more of their work.

3. One trademark of the company is that they begin each performance with the end of the piece that was created before it. L’Effet de Serge will give a glimpse at D’Apres Nature, giving the audience a little peek at what preceded this show.

4. Vivarium Studio is comprised of a close knit set of artists who originally began working in Quesne’s apartment. According to this Time Out New York article, their “microtheatrical experiments” soon gave way to the larger installations and interventions that are seen on stage.

5. The installation-minded company has also staged a variety of interventions in public spaces. This includes 3 parts to the collection consequences: “simple thoughts about the presence of nature in urban environments”, thinking about the end of the world in costume by the sea”, and “a few actions in natural environments.” These short booklets show the company injecting their subtle, sweet humor into public spaces, including taking the astronaut costumes to the ocean.


6. L’Effet de Serge has been a hit on the international scene, touring to cities including Dublin, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Sao Paolo, Buenos Aires, Seoul, Vienna and many more.