A village in a forest in the Vosges mountains of Alsace,1951. Rebuilding their lives after the horrors of the Nazi occupation, the Fischer and Seltz families struggle to live with a terrible secret. When a commissaire from Paris arrives to investigate the disappearance of a young resistance operative, the ties of tradition, family and community rapidly unravel. A new play by Strasbourg’s Théâtre Volière, based on real events, explores the shocking and tragic choices forced on a border community trapped in a cycle of international vengeance. An exhilaratingly physical ensemble production, drawing on the folk-art imagery and carnival traditions of Alsace and the Black Forest, which builds on Théâtre Volière’s growing reputation for creating gorgeous, life affirming theatre - Views from the Gods.

A magical, intimate show for all ages from La Soupe. Part Kamishabaï (Japanese paper theatre), part pop-up storybook, Macao et Cosmage is a journey into the world of French illustrator Edy Legrand. Macao and Cosmage live happily together in a tropical island paradise until the day that civilisation comes sailing up to their shore. A simple story about the effects of colonialism and the borders between mainland France and its Outre-Mer départements. Each audience member is given their own set of headphones with which to follow the action, as the puppeteer transports you from the rainy streets of London to a lush tropical island. La Soupe’s miniature puppet booth is suitable for an audience of 12 people at a time, so please book early. Performances are in English.

Fin de siècle Brighton. A young woman washed up on the beach is forced to revisit, time and again, her tragic history. Adult puppetry, poetry and drone noise in La Soupe’s Evocation, an experience that Edinburgh’s The Student described as truly life changing. In collaboration with poet Mick Wood and electro-acoustic composer Antoine Arlot, Alsace’s La Soupe have revisited the Pierrot Lunaire poems of Albert Giraud, creating from them a piece that takes an unflinching look at the cultural borders between the UK and continental Europe. New English translations from the original French, a powerhouse performance from Audrey L’Ebrellec, and sumptuous symbolist imagery bring out all the eroticism, savagery and playfulness of Giraud’s extraordinarily influential cycle.

Suitable for 15 years and older.

Fin de siècle Brighton. A young woman washed up on the beach is forced to revisit, time and again, her tragic history. Adult puppetry, poetry and drone noise in La Soupe’s Evocation, an experience that Edinburgh’s The Student described as truly life changing. In collaboration with poet Mick Wood and electro-acoustic composer Antoine Arlot, Alsace’s La Soupe have revisited the Pierrot Lunaire poems of Albert Giraud, creating from them a piece that takes an unflinching look at the cultural borders between the UK and continental Europe. New English translations from the original French, a powerhouse performance from Audrey L’Ebrellec, and sumptuous symbolist imagery bring out all the eroticism, savagery and playfulness of Giraud’s extraordinarily influential cycle.

Suitable for 15 years and older.

A companion piece to Arnika exploring the multi-lingualism of border regions and its effect on their cultures. Like one of the characters in Arnika, the Alsatian poet Andre Weckmann was forcibly drafted into the Wehrmacht in WW2. After being wounded on the Russian front, he managed to desert and join the Free French. Weckmann’s poem Retour au Pays, written in three languages, is a meditation on his return to Alsace. Devised by three Alsatian theatre makers, taking Weckmann’s poem as their starting point, our Retour au Pays is a fascinating exploration of the dynamics of borderland regionalism and the ambivalent relationship of one artist with his homeland. Performed in English, French, German and Alsatian.

A village in a forest in the Vosges mountains of Alsace,1951. Rebuilding their lives after the horrors of the Nazi occupation, the Fischer and Seltz families struggle to live with a terrible secret. When a commissaire from Paris arrives to investigate the disappearance of a young resistance operative, the ties of tradition, family and community rapidly unravel. A new play by Strasbourg’s Théâtre Volière, based on real events, explores the shocking and tragic choices forced on a border community trapped in a cycle of international vengeance. An exhilaratingly physical ensemble production, drawing on the folk-art imagery and carnival traditions of Alsace and the Black Forest, which builds on Théâtre Volière’s growing reputation for creating gorgeous, life affirming theatre - Views from the Gods.