Il était un petit navire
(SOS) Save Our Savings
Stranded by a ferry strike, six desperate strangers risk everything on a dubious boat ride to freedom—only to find themselves lost at sea, out of fuel, and sinking fast.
by Jean-Pierre Martinez
directed by Paul Wanis
produced by Michael [Michel] Bula
PROGRAMME
Listen to the Podcast on ZZZ
The cast
The seven roles represent different facets of a decaying society:
Max | Gavin Baker
The Boat’s Captain – an improvised smuggler who pilots the boat without a license. He represents the incompetence of leadership, pretending to guide others through a crisis he cannot actually control.
Diane | Emma Trédez
A member of the high society who believes her status makes her indispensable. She is the play’s tragicomic foil, eventually learning that in a true collapse, even the elites are expendable.
Yvonne | Nora Charif Chefchaouni
A rigid member of the old guard who insists on maintaining strict social hierarchies even while stranded. She views herself as superior to others regardless of their shared danger.
Charles | Richard Ryan
Often acting as Yvonne’s subordinate or companion, his character highlights the persistent class divides that remain even when the “ship” of society is sinking.
Sergio | Michel Bula
The direct representative of the invisible President. He acts as a fixer or “homme de main” who bridges the gap between political power and financial interests. A “Mysterious” Passenger: Like the others, he is desperate to reach the mainland during a ferry strike, carrying secrets that tie the onboard “shipwreck” to the highest levels of the state. Despite his high-level connections, Sergio is just as vulnerable and incapable of managing a real crisis as the other passengers, highlighting the fragility of those who hold power in the modern world.
Amanda | Arnaud Ramdoo
An undercover agent from the Tax Office. Initially there to expose the others, she eventually succumbs to the system’s corruption, choosing to join the “political masquerade” rather than uphold justice.
Marie | Lucie Sors
The Pregnant Woman – a “mysterious” passenger whose pregnancy is revealed to be a ruse. She uses a fake belly to smuggle illicit goods (cash or contraband), symbolising the deceptive nature of the group.
The Invisible President
Though he never appears on stage, he is a central character who manipulates the situation from afar. He is the ultimate hypocrite, aware of the disaster but only acting to protect his own campaign funds and interests.
Stranded by a ferry strike, six desperate strangers risk everything on a dubious boat ride to freedom—only to find themselves lost at sea, out of fuel, and sinking fast. As secrets spill and tensions explode, this razor-sharp comedy exposes greed, power, and moral compromise with biting wit. Save Our Savings is a darkly hilarious, fast-paced satire where survival comes at a price—and no one is as innocent as they seem.
Bloqués par une grève des ferries, six inconnus désespérés risquent tout lors d’une traversée hasardeuse vers la liberté, pour finalement se retrouver perdus en mer, à court de carburant et en train de couler rapidement. Alors que les secrets sont dévoilés et que les tensions montent en flèche, cette comédie acérée dénonce avec un humour caustique la cupidité, le pouvoir et les compromis moraux. « Save Our Savings » « Sauvegardons nos économies » « Préservons notre épargne « est une satire à la fois hilarante et noire, au rythme effréné, où la survie a un prix – et où personne n’est aussi innocent qu’il n’y paraît.
Photo Gallery
Testimonials
Congratulations on the success of your 49th season. The last night audiences relished the occasion as did we. May it presage a successful 50th Season.It is amazing what you have achieved Michael.
Good luck for the future.
Eugene and Margaret
Georgia and I attended the performance last night and we had a thoroughly enjoyable time. I will recommend it to my friends to love live theatre.Your performance was stellar. All seven of the cast members came across as authentic, totally embodying their characters.
I particularly liked ‘the cop’. The props and music were so evocative and I was transported ‘somewhere French’ for a couple of hours, even though the scene was on international waters (?) for the whole time.
You are so dedicated and I admire that so much.
Look forward to seeing another of your performances soon.
Bonjour Michel,Félicitations pour cette belle pièce. De bons acteurs surtout toi et Yvonne.
Ma fille était morte de rire tout le long.
Ça m’a même redonné envie de faire du théâtre.
J’en profite pour te demander de la part de Rosalie si je peux donner ton contact pour mise en relation avec la nouvelle manager des festivals de l’alliance française.
Je te remercie.
Amicalement
Hi Michael,Congratulations once again on your current splendid Melbourne French Theatre show.
It was terrific to visit your venue today – such a lovely atmosphere on arrival with the hospitality and friendly front-of-house hosts.
The show is great, the surtitles and projected images work really well and you and your fellow actors – portraying such interesting and diverse characters – present first rate performances.
Best regards
Cheryl
A Wonderful Celebration of French Language and Theatre
On Friday 14th August, our Years 9 and 10 French students stepped out of the classroom and onto the stage — well, almost! They had the pleasure of attending
Melbourne French Theatre’s latest production, Il était un petit navire, a play fresh from Paris, which was served up with veritable energy, wit and theatrical flair.Students travelled to the “Maison de Maître” theatre venue in Carlton, where they were transported into the wonderfully unpredictable world of live French theatre. They heard French spoken naturally, at full theatrical speed, experienced the immediacy of a live
performance and, most importantly, discovered that French is considerably more exciting when there is a stage, a cast and a captive audience involved!And the fun did not stop when the curtain fell. Our students enthusiastically joined the cast after the performance, singing in French with the actors, chatting about the show, and offering les cartes de remerciement (“thank you” cards) to the actors.
Melbourne French Theatre (MFT) has been bringing French language and culture to Australian audiences for almost 50 years – almost as long as Australians have been enjoying Molière! Next year, the company celebrates its 50th anniversary. We are thrilled to support this remarkable institution and to give our students the chance to experience the joy, spontaneity and sheer magic of French theatre firsthand.
It was an afternoon that reminded us that learning a language is about far more than mastering verbs and memorising vocabulary. It is about stepping through the curtain into another culture, hearing another world come to life, and discovering that sometimes the best classroom has a stage, a spotlight and a little je ne sais quoi.
Catherine Considine | French teacher
Last week, we went to see a play at the Melbourne French Theatre. It was a great experience to see people interacting in French for an extended period of time. I was able to gradually stop reading the English surtitles as the show went on and became fully immersed in the show. It was an enjoyable performance and a great opportunity to experience French culture and improve my connection with the French language.
Brianna Liss, Year 10
The French theatre excursion was great! While viewing the play, I was heavily relying on the English surtitles because the dialogue was in depth and often complex, but I was absolutely recognising words along the way and trying to comprehend without looking at the surtitles. All of the actors performed very well! And at the end we got a chance to hear from the actors and guess who the native speakers were… at least three actors were not native speakers! It was quite hard to tell that they weren’t native speakers.
The idea is that if we pursue French, we too could become fluent like them! Finally, the actors themselves were all very pleasant. My friend and I made a thank-you card together which got held up like a trophy by one of the actors. This was a great, interactive excursion and I’d love to do more things like this in French!
Clementine Campbell, Year 10
