The Transforme festival aims first and foremost to support the creation of new forms and to encourage encounters between artists and audiences. To this end, the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès has partnered with the Cité Internationale in Paris, La Comédie de Clermont-Ferrand, Les SUBS in Lyon and the Théâtre National de Bretagne in Rennes. Together, they have curated the festival’s programme, ensured its circulation across their respective territories, and devised “Going Further” initiatives to extend the festival experience.
A 2025-2026 edition dedicated to the power of connection
Transforme is a space for formal invention and the emergence of new performance languages. Through interdisciplinary crossovers, the participating artists shed new light on contemporary subjects. In an uncertain context, a shared desire to come together emerges, to participate in collective projects, and to make connections between the self, the world and to others. In this way, the motif of connection runs throughout the programme of this new edition.
It can be seen in Fusées by Jeanne Candel, a whimsical piece that brings together two very different astronauts within a tiny vessel. Adrift in space, what still connects them to humanity? In an entirely different work, Skinless by Théo Mercier features a monumental set made of compressed rubbish which serves as a backdrop for a dissection of romantic ties. In a composite format Le Bruit des Pierres by the trio Domitille Martin, Nina Harper and Ricardo Cabral stages a choreography between stones and humans, inviting us to imagine ourselves in the world of tomorrow.
Several pieces meanwhile seek to reinvent the relationship with the audience through original formats. Entre vos mains by Marc Lainé and Je suis une montagne by Eric Arnal-Burtschy invite viewers to forge new connections through more immersive, sensory experiences. Physical engagement with the collective is more intense still in works such as En fanfaaare! by Tatiana Julien or Delirious Night by Mette Ingvartsen.
Other projects engage more directly with contemporary reality, whether through connections to other cultures – Radio live : Vivantes ; Nos vies à venir ; Réunie·s by Aurélie Charon and le collectif radio live, or Mbok’Elengi by Jolie Ngemi – or more broadly with the notion of alterity as in Le rêve d’Elektra byClément Bondu. This dynamic also reflects a need to become one, as in the musical and theatrical utopia of Nexus de l’adoration by Joris Lacoste or the poetic circus performance Anitya – l’impermanence by Inbal Ben Haim, which seeks to weave ties quite literally. Through this diversity of forms, each project within Transforme explores the idea of connection in its own way.
"Going Further" with the artists
Alongside this programme, a series of “Going Further” events offer audiences the chance to extend their experience by encountering artists in a different context. These events seek to broaden the spaces in which artists intervene, extending into the surrounding territories of partner institutions to encourage young generations to come together for collective or celebratory moments. They also offer accessible formats that support a genuinely inclusive form of contemporary theatrical creativity. Together, these initiatives help bring the performing arts closer to society, where they can serve as a vehicle for emancipation and shared emotion for all.
