Les Giboulées - TJP Centre Dramatique National

A pioneering festival born from puppetry

The history of Les Giboulées began in 1977, when André Pomarat, founder of TJP and a visionary of the performing arts, created the festival Les Giboulées de la marionnette. At a time when major cultural institutions still ignored so-called "minor" art forms, Pomarat took the bold gamble of programming puppetry, shadow theater, storytelling, mime, new circus, and street theater in a festival that quickly became the second-largest event in France dedicated to puppet theater, after Charleville-Mézières.

From TJP to the streets: two stages, a thousand universes

The festival unfolds in the two emblematic venues of TJP. The Petite Scène, located at 1 rue du Pont-Saint-Martin in the picturesque district of Petite France, offers an intimate setting for delicate and experimental forms. The Grande Scène (André Pomarat hall), at 7 rue des Balayeurs in the Krutenau district, hosts more ambitious creations in its 400-seat auditorium. But Les Giboulées also spills into the public space with parades, dance battles, and free shows that transform the streets of Strasbourg into open-air stages.

A biennial that became an annual highlight

In 2012, under the direction of Renaud Herbin, the festival adopted a biennial rhythm and was renamed Biennale Corps-Objet-Image, exploring the links between the performer's body, the manipulated object, and the projected image. Since 2024, under the impetus of choreographer Kaori Ito, the new director of TJP, the festival has transformed into Micro Giboulées: a condensed one-week format in March, more intense and more open, where theater, dance, performance, and music blend in a resolutely transdisciplinary program.

A bold and inclusive program

Les Giboulées stands out for its ability to combine artistic excellence with accessibility. You can find clown shows for children aged 6 and up, contemporary performance from South Africa, punk dance-opera, acrobatic drag, and poetry. The festival cultivates a spirit of collective celebration: participatory parades, open dance battles, festive closing evenings with DJs and beatboxing. A place where living art breaks down barriers between artists and audiences, between young and old, between the initiated and the novice.

TJP, a creation hub in the heart of Strasbourg

The TJP Centre Dramatique National Strasbourg-Grand Est, founded in 1974, is one of the few national drama centers in France to place young audiences and puppetry at the heart of its mission. Les Giboulées is the highlight that crystallizes this unique identity, a time when the creation hub opens its doors wide to share its vision of living, inventive, and joyfully subversive theater.