Théâtre Vollard

Founded in 1979 in the town of Le Tampon (Reunion Island) the theatre company took the name of Ambroise Vollard to pay tribute to the non-conformist art dealer from Reunion, a friend of Alfred Jarry. The Vollard theatre company is a leading light of the 1980s and 1990s revival of theatre in Reunion with about thirty plays written in a festive and colourful style (Marie-Desssembre, Lepervenche, Ubu Colonial, etc), town festivals and large public gatherings. The Vollard theatre company has created new places, the Grand marché of Saint Denis (currently a drama centre), Cinérama at La Possession, Grande Chaloupe, Jeumon cultural centre, toured many times in mainland France and abroad. Over 30 years actors and singers have performed 1 960 times in front of 455 000 theatre-goers.

Since 2003 with Maraina and Chin the Vollard theatre company has devoted itself to opera and to the creation of operas for French overseas.

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In 1955 on Reunion Island, Mr Roger, a former Petain supporter, appeals to the ’Reds’ and to the son of Doctor Papa, Chin (pronounced like "Chine" in French) to help save his Bel Air sugar factory. The factory is saved but the Roger family, in the grip of a curse, breaks apart and Chin has to take refuge in the mountains … The libretto is inspired by a true story : the 1955 alliance of the communist Paul Vergès and the sugar producer René Payet to save the Quartier Français factory. "Chin" or "Le Chinois (Chinese man)" was Paul Verges’s nickname as a youth because his mother was Asian. The title also calls to mind the Maoist sympathies of the decolonisation movements, as well as the presence on Reunion Island of an influential Chinese community. This theme has already been the object of a 2002 play by Vollard Theatre, as well as a TV film screenplay with Yves Boisset. A remarkable opera due to its historical libretto, Chin deals with a little-known part of French overseas départements’ history : the important post-war decolonisation movement in the islands which gave rise to independentist, autonomist and Maoist-friendly tendencies. It created a tropical communism, a sugar-cane communism whose imagery found its models in Che Guevara or Fidel Castro. A contemporary opera with a hybrid musical colour, Asian sounds, and Indian Ocean rhythms, Chin’s score opens up interesting and unexplored perspectives by integrating Indian, Chinese and Malagasy trends into Western classicism. The performers reflect this cultural mix, originating both from Reunion Island and other overseas French départements (Martinique, Guadeloupe), and from mainland France, Madagascar and China.


dossier presentation opera Chin in english


Cassandre oct 2009, an exemple to follow closely. The adventures of the Vollard theatre Company

CHIN, world premiere at Champ Fleuri theatre (Saint Denis, Reunion Island) on April 10th 2010.

Duration : 1 hr 50 mins with an interval. With surtitles in French and Reunionese Creole. Composer and music director : Jean-Luc Trulès Jean-Luc Trulès, Libretto and director : Emmanuel Genvrin, set designer : Hervé Mazelin, wardrobe : Térésa Small and laurence Julien. With soloists Hengh Shi (baritone), Jean Philippe Courtis (bass baritone), Anne-Marguerite Werster (soprano), Aurore Ugolin (mezzo), Karim Bouzra (tenor), Josselin Michalon (bas baritone), Holy Razafidrazaka (soprano). The orchestra consists of 24 musicians from the Massy Opera Orchestra and from Reunion, including the Chinese erhu soloist Guo Gan. The choir is conducted by Landy Andriamboavonjy and composed of 16 professionals from Reunion, mainland France and Malagasy from the Laka association of Antananarivo.


Jean-Luc Trulès, compositeur

bio Trulès


Emmanuel Genvrin, librettiste

bio Genvrin

avec :


Heng Shi, baryton (Chin)


Anne-Marguerite Werster, mezzo-soprano (Elisabeth)


Jean-Philippe Courtis, basse (Monsieur Roger)


Holy Razafindrazaka, soprano (Héva)


Aurore Ugolin, mezzo (Rézéda)


Karim Bouzra, ténor (Charles)


Josselin Michalon, baryton (Darma)


Choeur de Chin


Orchestre de l’Océan indien


Dossier Chin à télécharger

What the press thinks :

« Faced with the originality - indeed the cheek - of the undertaking one can only but applaud. Emmanuel Genvrin has written a powerful and complex libretto, where public interest and private destinies are intertwined. The enormous progress made by the composer Jean-Luc Trulès since Maraina should be emphasized. The richness and diversity are still there, but the writing has gained in blending, assurance and orchestral variety»
[Thierry Guyenne, Opéra Magazine]

« Alternating political and intimate scenes revealing characters’ inner torments, Emmanuel Genvrin creates a captivating and harmonious production. Orchestrally Jean-Luc Trulès has delivered a modern score where the musical, almost cinematographic, ambience dominates the heady melodies. A real ode to freedom that could serve as a reference to a Creole classicism »
[Yoan.Guilloux., Le Journal de l’Île newspaper]

« The importance of the two performances of Chin this weekend at Saint Denis can not be underestimated; how can we not draw any lessons from this extraordinary opera ? And how can we not acknowledge the quality and extent of the work accomplished by Emmanuel Genvrin, Jean-Luc Trulès and all of the show’s creative performers »
[Lucien Biedinger, Témoignages newspaper]

« Chin, a hybrid and provocative opera. Emmanuel Genvrin and Jean-Luc Trulès have once again combined their talents to create a contemporary opera. The piece breathes life into a rebellious, communist leader, a lover and shrewd strategist, who goes to Mafate weapons in hand. Outstanding»
[Jean-Noël Fortier, Le Quotidien de La Réunion newspaper]