Two French object theater performances for Showbox 2026

This year we can present two absurd, humorous and subtle French performances; from Compagnie Bakelite and Compagnie Kislorod , both from Brittany, France.

Find water, or die

A lone man wanders through a scorching desert. All around him lurk snakes, vultures, bandits and humans fighting for their own survival. There is only one task: Find water!

In Hostile, Olivier Rannou and Compagnie Bakélite from France take the audience into a western universe with dark humor. There, the imagination is allowed to grow from an almost empty stage. Only using planks, lights and everyday objects, landscapes, characters and dramatic situations are created in real time.

The performance combines object theatre, physical play and inventive scenography in a playful and original homage to the spaghetti western genre. Clichés are twisted, reshaped and given new life in a universe that balances chaos, humour and survival.

Bakélite was established in 2005 in Rennes, France. Artistic director Olivier Rannou creates performances that combine comedy with absurd elements, but great detail and precision, often inspired by film. Bakélite's trademark is also about people and the encounter: the encounter between artistic expression and the audience, and the encounter between people themselves.

Sortir du bois – In a foggy forest

In the misty forest, a deer stands, and everything seems to be as usual. Until the sound of hooves on the asphalt sets off a strange and poetic journey through a landscape of highways, construction lights, and birdsong.

Out of the Forest is visual object theatre that combines absurd humor with strong scenic images. The performance draws inspiration from both the highway's chance encounters with nature and Dutch visual art (vanitas) from the 18th century, creating a unique universe where the wild meets the man-made. On a table, small objects are transformed into a road trip that explores the relationship between animals, nature and territory – poetic, playful and unpredictable.