PRESENTATION AND TEAM

the blue lobster

When its hard shell becomes too cramped, the lobster moults. The strange and precious crustacean gets rid of its shell, becomes a fragile mollusc for a while, and takes the time needed to build a new shell.

Today's injunction is to be efficient, profitable and effective at all times. Chase away any sign of weakness! Let's take a look at the wisdom of the lobster. It teaches us to see our vulnerability as a strength. It reminds us that change is often stimulated by discomfort. Fear and anxiety are not to be eradicated, they are an invitation to transfigure ourselves, to mature in the rhythm of life's cycles, and - no matter how hard our shells may be - to retain our inner tenderness.

our story

Founded in 2016 in the Drôme region, Compagnie Homard Bleu produces shows that range from classical repertoire to contemporary writing. With an often offbeat approach, it explores themes such as social violence, relationships, childhood and liberation through the expression of the body.

In addition to its participation in film productions, the company is committed to a process of transmission by organizing the F.A.T. Festival until 2023, as well as through mediation initiatives in France and abroad.

Association Office
President Philippe Ayme
Secretary Nelly Mourier
Treasurer Michel Dupoirieux

F.A.T. artistic direction team Festival
Matthias Fortune Droulers

Anne-Sophie Lebanon

Ivan Herbez

The company was created when three young artists came together: Matthias Fortune, Ivan Herbez and Anne-Sophie Liban. Their collaboration and communicative energy first led to their involvement in the creation of the F.A.T. Festival, becoming its artistic directors. Today, the festival is subsidised by the Drôme department, the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and the DRAC. The festival has become a major event on the regional scene (with around sixty volunteers involved in its organisation and over fifty professional artists employed each year).

The company also creates and presents shows.

2015 saw the creation of a rejuvenated version of Molière's Bourgeois Gentilhomme. Following the success of the show at the Théâtre Lepic in Paris, they took it to the Festival OFF in Avignon and on tour (73 performances).

In 2016, Ivan Herbez and Matthias Fortune created Le Mariage Forcé de George Dandin based on two plays by Molière, set for the occasion in America ravaged by the Great Depression. The show premiered at the 2nd F.A.T. Festival, then revived at the Théâtre Lepic.

The following season, the company presented two new works: Trois Ruptures by Rémi De Vos directed by Ivan Herbez and Eurydice El-Etr at the Studio Théâtre d'Asnières and the Théâtre de Belleville (Paris), and A door must be kept open or shut by Alfred de Musset directed and performed by Anne-Sophie Liban and Matthias Fortune at the Théâtre Lepic, the Théâtre du Lucernaire and the Festival OFF d'Avignon 2019. The show was eligible for the Molières and toured throughout France (154 performances).

With the creation of Amedeo, l'énigme Modigliani, originally written by Matthias Fortune and Erika Guillouzouic, the company is opening up to contemporary writing, exploring the career of the Italian painter through the current crisis in the French press. How can an artist help us to grasp our own freedom?

This question is also at the heart of the next show, In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of Jackie Chan, which will premiere at the Festival OFF d'Avignon 2024 at the Théâtre Artéphile. Childhood, mental health, kung fu and father-son reconciliation are the themes addressed in this play combining theatre, martial arts and live music.

Finally, for several years now, Anne-Sophie and Matthias have been exploring South-East Asia with the dream of one day working there. Today, they are laureates of the Villa Saigon, an artists'residency programme run by the Institut Français of Vietnam. With their project Women and Vovinam Viet Vo Dao they are continuing their exploration of the martial arts as a vehicle for emancipation and resilience.