Le Mouton Carré (The square sheep) – France
Founded and directed by Bénédicte Gougeon, the Compagnie Le Mouton Carré was established in 2008.
The company’s work lies at the intersection of theatrical aesthetics and visual arts. Experimentation with materials and the creation of objects and puppets are central to the creative process, with the set design playing a full and integral part in the performance. Its theater thus combines raw materials with poetic imagery, simplicity with surgical precision.
Since its beginnings, Le Mouton Carré has woven together various disciplines centered on theater, puppetry, and object theater. The company strives to develop an innovative and accessible performing art in which the human experience intersects with physicality, emotion, and intimacy.
With a clear focus on young audiences, Le Mouton Carré aims to explore the diversity of this audience, from early childhood through adolescence. Far from compartmentalizing, we believe that theater intended for children should also challenge and move adults.
Committed to ensuring that our performances are meaningful and emotionally resonant, we strive to create works that inspire reflection. Each artistic production is accompanied by educational resources designed to guide young audiences and introduce them to the world of theater.
Regardless of the language used, we are talking about the challenge of growing up—not only physically but also emotionally. Growing in experience, skill, ability, and understanding of the world. Growing as we develop our personalities.
Bénédicte Gougeon
Artistic director
After participating in several workshops, a few internships, and various theater classes, it is in Jean-Luc Galmiche’s class at the conservatory in Paris’s 18th arrondissement that her theatrical practice truly finds its meaning and gains real depth. It is also where she discovers the art of mime and clowning, which subsequently leads her to develop an interest in puppetry.
Alongside her training as an actress, she graduates at the Sorbonne Nouvelle university. Her master’s thesis explores the boundaries between art and communication. She also trains as a costume designer, learning the craft and honing her artistic sensibility.
And then, an idea that had been brewing for some time suddenly became crystal clear: The time had come to start a company. Le Mouton Carré, which she founds in 2008, gives her the space she needs to explore and share her creative world.
It was through Le Mouton Carré that she first encounters young audiences and fell under their spell. She is moved by the immediacy of their reactions—an audience that experiences live performance without any preconceived notions about theater. She aspires to connect with these young spectators, who live intensely in the moment, and to speak to them without fear of intense emotion. And because theater aimed at children must also challenge and move adults, Le Mouton Carré always conceives its shows as productions for all audiences.
Sensitive to both theatrical aesthetics and creative arts, she finds her balance in the blend of acting and puppetry. Sometimes an actress, sometimes a puppeteer, sometimes a visual artist, it is by combining all these forms of expression that she feels most at home.
While she serves as the artistic director of Le Mouton Carré and leads the company both on stage and behind the scenes, she is fully aware that live performance is a collective endeavor, and she strives, with each new project, to bring together talented individuals and create synergy by inviting collaborators into her world.
