Creation 2025
The Stranger
A Voyage to Absurdia
A show born from a skewed view of the world
The Stranger - Voyage to Absurdia was born from the desire to offer a poetic, critical, and satirical perspective on migration and the acceptance of the Other. Loosely inspired by the first book of Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, the show explores the absurd mechanisms of power, the collective fears surrounding difference, and the deep-rooted prejudices of our societies. Gulliver becomes a figure of the exile—washed up on an unknown shore, welcomed with curiosity and then rejected by a society that sees him as a threat. By transposing this fable into a monumental theatrical form, Plasticiens Volants places the audience in the shoes of a Lilliputian, faced with the immensity of the Other… and with their own contradictions.
A creation process rooted in collaboration
The development of The Stranger - Voyage to Absurdia unfolded over several years through a collective artistic process. The writing of the show emerged from dialogue between writers, director, builders, composer, and performers. The character of Gulliver—a 20-meter-long articulated flying puppet—was designed and built in 2024 for the show BIG(GER), in partnership with the Puppentheater Halle (Germany). For The Stranger, Gulliver becomes the central figure in a new narrative, accompanied by another flying character: the Dove. Around them, other characters such as the Queen and Léon the journalist embody facets of power, speech, or revolt, in a staging that plays with contrasts of scale, power dynamics, and everyday absurdity.
A new chapter for Plasticiens Volants
The Stranger marks a turning point for the company: it is the first creation centered around a duo of articulated flying characters who carry a strong and emotionally resonant narrative. By focusing the dramaturgy on a few emblematic figures and deepening the emotional connection between Gulliver and the audience, the show renews the artistic language of Plasticiens Volants. It retains the poetic monumentality that is the company’s signature, while anchoring it in pressing contemporary issues. Through its absurd humor and symbolic power, The Stranger invites us to imagine
a more just and welcoming world.