Edinburgh Festival Fringe – Adam Smith, Le Grand Tour

Compagnie Les Labyrinthes presents Adam Smith, Le Grand Tour. The company from France present  a multimedia production mixing theatre and video for a journey back in time, to the origins of the thought of the key figure of Scottish Enlightenment. The production is an original creation for the Fringe.

The performance takes us on a journey through Scotland to complete their own ‘Grande Tour’  inspired by  Adam Smith’s thought and work. Incorporating economics, philosophy and theatre, this is an invitation to go back to the founding principles of liberalism, the context of the Scottish Enlightenment and the influence of Adam Smith’s thought on our modern society. It is  portrayed through the eyes of the two protagonists Marie (Vanessa Oltra) and Fred (Fréderic Kneiptakes).

The script is a sharply written, humorous and caustic homage to the legacy of the philosopher.  Neither an economic nor a philosophical treaty, it relates Smith to the modern era, by making us wonder: what remains of Adam Smith today? And what have we done with his thought?

in 20012,  Compagnie Les Labyrinthes followed in the footsteps of Adam Smith and visited the places in Edinburgh and around related to his life and work. They came away from this trip with videos that would become fully part of their multimedia production. World premiering at this year’s Fringe in its English version, Adam Smith, Le Grand Tour will then be touring in France in a French version.

The theatre company was founded in 1995 by Gérard David, teacher at the Merignac Conservatory. It is based in Aquitane,  south-western France. The company has so far produced about thirty classic and contemporary theatre projects. In addition to the creation of theatre shows, the theatre group is actively working on programmes of artistic education intended for schools.

About the members of the company: author of the show and performer Vanessa Oltra holds a PhD in Economics and is a senior lecturer at the University of Bordeaux IV. Former student at the Merignac Conservatory, she has been working with Gérard David for several years. Adam Smith, Le Grand Tour is her first theatre project involving both her researcher and author skills. Frédéric Kneip is a performer and director. Former student at the Rennes Conservatory for Dramatic Arts and and the Merignac Conservatory, he regularly plays with different companies, including  Compagnie Les Labyrinthes. In parallel, he is working on artistic education in prison.