"Contes et Légendes" by Cie Louis Brouillard, on tour in South Korea

Born on February 28, 1963, in Roanne in the Loire region, Joël Pommerat is a French playwright and director. After starting his career as an actor, he decided, at the age of 23, to focus on writing and created his first shows at the Théâtre de la Main d’Or in Paris. In 1990, he founded the Compagnie Louis Brouillard and wrote Pôles, his first text that he considered artistically accomplished, in 1995. His first public and critical success came in 2004 with Au monde, presented at the Théâtre National de Strasbourg. This was followed by Les Marchands, Le Petit Chaperon rouge, and Contes et Légendes, imagined in 2019. 

With Contes et Légendes, Joël Pommerat creates a speculative documentary fiction on adolescence and the challenges of self-construction during this period, as well as the myth of the artificial creature. In a futuristic world, humans and robots now coexist and must imagine a new form of society where relationships evolve. The director attempts to explore the ambiguities of these different existences through sensitive and humorous moments. 

Joël Pommerat positions himself as an anthropologist of the future, distancing himself from the sensationalism of science fiction to observe contemporary values, relationships, and identities. He employs a form of experimental theater to understand how the arrival of robots in daily life might reshape how individuals build and connect with one another. It’s a way of touching on the complexity of human emotions, as well as themes of authenticity and deception. 

Nominated four times at the Molières in 2020 in the categories of Public Theater Show, Visual Creation, Living Francophone Author, and Director of a Public Theater Show, Contes et Légendes continues its journey with a tour in South Korea. From November 5 to 15, the play will be presented in the country with the support of IF Export 2024. Through this program, French creators and cultural partners based in France are supported internationally for projects involving dissemination, cooperation, or presence at major influential events.