Creation residencies

Elsa Revcolevschi / dispositif FABLAB
(France)
Purpose of the residency: Stage-based research with two puppeteers

Research project centred on the text *Mon pays de terre rouge*, a project for young audiences based on a text by Nicolas Girard-Michelotti.
How can we bring to life a world-tree, a slow-unfolding catastrophe, without ever depicting it directly, but by allowing the material to act, to permeate and to shift, like a paint pigment that migrates and fills the entire space without any visible break?

Elsa Revcolevschi has just completed her training in theatre direction at the TNS. She will be joined by Luana Montabonel and Elise Cornille, both graduates of the 13th class of ESNAM.

Research and Creation residency from 5 to 9 October 2026

Louve  company / Christine Armanger
(France)
Purpose of the residency: Writing and research on stage; research into robotic puppetry and dance.

Renart the Robot presents a whimsical pas de deux between a dancer and a talking robot dog, in the form of an epic tale inspired by *The Tale of Reynard*. The play aims to offer a new, playful and poetic take on AI. Set at the crossroads of the medieval world and technology, the adventures of the two companions will, by implication, raise questions about morality and freedom. An interactive finale will give children the chance to pass judgement on Renart.

Christine Armanger is an author, choreographer, performer and visual artist.

Research and Creative Residency from 12 to 23 October 2026

Collectif In Itinere / Thylda Barès
(France)
Purpose of the residency: writing and research on stage, puppetry work.

In this adaptation of William Golding’s *Lord of the Flies*, the action takes place in a post-apocalyptic world not unlike our own. The audience witnesses the ‘Days of Violence’, an experiment established following the nuclear disasters of 2027 in an attempt to curb violence and prevent the mistakes of the past from being repeated. This experiment places the participants in self-sufficient isolation on an island, whilst other living non-human beings are represented by puppets. Gradually, humans and non-humans encounter one another and intermingle.

Thylda Barès is a theatre director and co-director of the international collective In Itinere.

Creation residency from 7 to 11 December 2026

Collectif Kahraba / Eric Deniaud
(Liban)
Purpose of the residency: Finalising the script for the show, designing the lighting and finalising the stage design.

In Lebanon, violence is turning everything upside down. How can we remain standing? We will respond to barbarism with poetry. Like Darwish, we persevere in the face of defeat, preserving our humanity. What the gods have left us creates a space for poetic respite – fragile yet vibrant – to restore our hope for brotherhood. Two beings engage in dialogue through the body, music, drawing, objects and puppets, composing a visual and sensory poem, embracing vulnerability in the face of chaos.

Eric Deniaud is a graduate of the 5th class of ESNAM.

Creation residency from 4 to 15 January 2027

Brûlante company / Emily Evans
(France)
Aim of the residency: an artistic and technical research project focusing on the eco-construction of a life-size orca puppet in collaboration with engineers.

Chlore is an attempt at an end-of-the-world fable, the story of a young person who renounces their future and embraces their eco-anxiety with resilience through a dialogue with animals. It is a play set in a swimming pool that explores our relationship with the wild. Through an encounter between orcas and a synchronised swimming team, it invites us to reflect on our presence on Earth.

Emily Evans is a graduate of the 11th class of  ESNAM.

Research and  Creation residency from 8 to 19 March 2027

On t’a vu sur la Pointe  company /
Antoine Malfettes and Anne-Cécile Richard
(France)
Purpose of the residency: Puppet construction and set design, initial staging rehearsals.

An art and science project, combining puppetry and music, aimed at raising awareness amongst young audiences (aged 6) of the beauty and fragility of the deep sea – so far away, yet so close, and about which we know almost nothing. Life in the abyss challenges our assumptions and invites us to see the world in a different light.
The pitch: whilst searching for a mysterious whale (the 52-Hertz whale), a crew of scientists and poets makes a discovery at the bottom of the sea that will change their lives.

Antoine Malfettes and Anne-Cécile Richard are both playwrights, directors and puppeteers.

Creation residency from 21 to 25 June 2027

L’Étendue / Renaud Herbin
(France)
Purpose of the residency: it will be devoted to developing the video puppet theatre installation.

Adolescence is a transition, a journey marked by numerous contradictions – between childhood receding into the past and the desire or fear of discovering a new horizon.

Renaud Herbin wishes to create a show in honour of adolescence. Through this project, he aims to explore themes of metamorphosis: the body in the process of transformation, driven by bursts of passion, dreams and naivety. He envisages a visual and auditory style based on the use of hand-operated puppets and articulated spaces. The world of the show draws on the imagery of the sea, which serves as a metaphor for the transition into adolescence: a thirst to explore the world, encounters with unknown territories and mysterious creatures, populated by monsters capable of devouring everything.

Renaud Herbin is a graduate of the 4h class ofESNAM.

Creation residency from 18 to 22 January 2027