Marina Simonova

Photo credit: Darin Morsel

Originally from Russia, Marina Simonova began her career in performing arts at the “Kuklomania” Puppet Studio-Theatre (Tatiana and Vladislav Cherniavskie) in Voronezh (2010).

She then studied at the Academy of Dramatic Art in Saint Petersburg (2013-17) where she graduated as an actress-puppeteer. After working in various projects as a puppeteer and actress, Marina joined the 12th promotion of ESNAM (National School for Puppetry), France (2018-21). She got inspired by the short story Funès or the Memory from Jorge Luis Borges to create her 3rd year solo, Le Mémorieux. It was with the graduation show, Everest, the production of which was delegated to the company Tro-Héol, that she made herself known to Yngvild Aspeli.

Marina Simonova is now in companionship with Yngvild Aspeli and the company Plexus Polaire. She is therefore part of the cast of Yngvild's new production, Dracula. She is also accompanied on her first show, How I Turned Into.

In How I Turned Into, Marina Simonova invites the audience to rediscover a limitless state of the imagination, where everything is possible. She embodies the childhood memories of Olga, the main character of Russian poet and philosopher Olga Sedakova's text, from which the show is inspired. As soon as the adults no longer pay attention to her or don't understand her - little Olya transforms and suddenly becomes a chicken, a dog, a bear or a storm...

In Marina's version, it is through the gaze of Olga now adult that the viewer encounters the strength and power of this state of childhood which allows transformation. An honest, plain and tender look through which you can recognize yourself as a child.

With her partner on stage, the sound designer and manipulator of the scenic space, the actress-puppeteer takes us on a journey into Olga's realistic and fantastic universe through a succession of scenes animated by puppets, objects, sounds, texts... Between the freedom and loneliness of childhood.

These transformations, were they just her imagination? Or is there simply a day where we no longer know how to transform?

A show “that allows children to feel like adults and adults to feel like children again.”

Theater / puppet / body / object / 8+