PLASTICIENS VOLANTS

THE STRANGER
– Voyage to the Absurdia –

Large-scale aerial show

For all audiences.

  • Audience capacity 5.000 people

  • Performed during the day or at night

  • Duration: 1 hour

  • French and English versions (other languages possible)

  • Cast 19 or 20 (night) persons.

Touring specifications:

  • Audience capacity: 5,000 people

  • Can be performed during the day (without additional lighting) or at night (with lighting technical specifications)

  • Duration: 1 hour (+ 2 hours of public set-up before the performance)

  • Traveling Team: 19 people for daytime performances / 20 people for nighttime performances

  • Performance area required: 50m x 60m minimum

  • Helium needed: 75 m3

  • Available Language Versions: French and English, please contact us for other languages.

In a world...

...where everything is a matter of perspective, "The Stranger - Voyage to Absurdia" explores the encounter with the unknown, whether it involves migrants, exiles, or simply those perceived as "different." This poetic and satirical journey, freely inspired by Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, reflects on the acceptance of others and their integration into our societies.

This creation not only perpetuates the poetic and monumental aesthetic characteristic of Plasticiens Volants but also reinvents the company's approach through new artistic choices and a dive into essential themes of our time.

This largely collaborative production seamlessly invites the community into the performance, where your neighbors, students, volunteers, junior soccer team and others can find a role.

Turtle Island

Now available for touring and co-commissioning development with your community!
A large-scale outdoor production of the Haudenosaunee Creation Story, created by Haudenosaunee artist, historian, and educator G. Peter Jemison (Seneca, Heron Clan) and Plasticiens Volants, renowned for their breathtaking giant inflatable puppetry and outdoor spectacles, together with the Skywoman Iroquois Dance Theater.

Designed for outdoor, family-friendly venues—parks, waterfronts, and public squares—it invites diverse audiences to experience a story that is both ancestral and urgently relevant. This outdoor production seeks to honor and amplify Indigenous narratives, offering a visual and performative representation of foundational Haudenosaunee mythology while addressing universal themes of creation, balance, and ecological awareness. It serves as an opportunity to showcase Indigenous perspectives, foster intercultural dialogue, and deepen public understanding of Native histories and futures.

The project is partially funded with support from Département du Tarn, Région Occitanie, and Institut Français. Developed with Friends of Ganondagan and produced by Unicycle Productions, with co-commissioning partner Rochester Fringe Festival, the project began with residencies at Artpark and Rochester Fringe. We are now seeking new co-commissioning and touring partners to bring this powerful story to life.

More 2025 Plasticiens Volants Shows

Aquatic Parade

An ocean of colors and poetry

The Aquatic Parade is a magical and immersive procession, transforming urban spaces into an open-air giant aquarium. Fish, lobsters, jellyfish, and other marine creatures float above the audience, gracefully moving along the designated parade route.

Without a fixed scenography, this parade is designed to adapt to various routes and urban settings, offering organizers complete flexibility in shaping the event’s scale. Whether by day or night, the Aquatic Parade brings the magic of the oceans to the heart of the city, creating a unique experience with every performance.

This parade is intended for a family audience, ensuring a safe and conflict-free environment. Performers manipulating inflatable structures move through the crowd, enhancing the immersive experience.

  • All-ages parade
  • Walking performance
  • Duration: Up to 2 hours
  • Team: Depending on the chosen option

Cosmic Parade

A celestial journey

The Cosmic Parade takes the audience on a stellar odyssey, where glowing Meteors, Floating Planets, and Futuristic Spaceships drift through the urban landscape. Like a suspended cosmic ballet, this walking performance immerses spectators in a universe where imagination meets infinity.

The Moon shimmers, an Abyss from another world glides through the air, while mysterious celestial bodies emerge from the void, inviting everyone to look up and dream of exploration.

Adaptable to various formats, The Cosmic Parade allows adjustments in the number of flying and carried elements, lighting effects, and the scale of the procession, depending on the event and location. Whether performed by day or night, this parade transports audiences to another realm, where the sky becomes the grandest stage of all.

This performance is designed for a family audience and does not involve elements that could cause conflict or crowd movement. The show takes place without intermission, with performer-puppeteers guiding the inflatable structures within the audience.

  • All-ages show
  • Fixed format
  • Daytime or nighttime performance
  • Duration: 60 minutes

Leonardo Dreams and Nightmares

In the mind of a genius: 

Léonardo and his lying dreams

This show invites the audience to rediscover Leonardo da Vinci from a fresh perspective. The sky is transformed into a living canvas, where the inventions, dreams, and torments of this timeless genius come to life. Blending poetry and spectacle, Léonardo, Dreams and Nightmares offers a journey into the heart of the imagination of one of humanity's greatest visionaries.

This performance is intended for a family audience, with intentions unlikely to generate conflicts or crowd movements. The performance must take place at night, without an intermission, and in a fixed location. The actor-manipulators of the inflatable structures interact with the audience during the show.

  • All-ages show
  • Fixed format, with introductory parade
  • Nighttime performance
  • Duration: 50 minutes
  • Team: 21 people + 6 or 18 local participants
  • Audience: 5.000
  • Available language versions: French and English - Contact us for other languages
  • Performance area: 60m x 40m
  • Helium: 430 m³
  • Equipment: 2 tons, 12 m³

Little Nemo in Slumberland

A magical show for the whole family

Little Nemo in Slumberland is an enchanting aerial journey inspired by the dreamlike world of Winsor McCay. Designed to captivate audiences of all ages, this show immerses spectators in a universe where imagination takes flight.

With monumental inflatable puppets, floating sets, and a spectacular staging, Slumberland unfolds under the stars, recreating the magic of childhood dreams. Blending poetry and humor, this fantastic adventure invites families to share a moment of wonder, dance, and laughter, where the laws of reality fade away, giving way to surprise and amazement.

A smaller version of this show is also available—information upon request.

This performance is designed for a family audience and does not involve elements that could cause conflict or crowd movement. The show takes place without intermission, with performer-puppeteers guiding the inflatable structures within the audience.

  • All-ages show
  • Walking performance
  • Nighttime show
  • Duration: 50 minutes
  • Team: 24 people + 8 local participants
  • Audience: 5.000
  • Performance area:  40m x 40m
  • Helium: 430m³
  • Equipment: 2 tons, 12 m³

New World

A monumental show on the future of our planet

New World is one of the most ambitious performances by Plasticiens Volants, designed to bring a large audience together around a powerful visual story about our planet. The company explores the relationship between humanity and its environment, questioning the transformations of our world. At the heart of this poetic fresco is an iconic figure: Saurien, a giant dinosaur, a relic of a bygone past, who awakens under the effect of human agitation. His return marks a disruption in the established order, a confrontation between an ancient nature and a world in constant expansion.

This performance is aimed at a family audience, with intentions that are unlikely to generate conflicts or crowd movements. The performance must take place at night, without an intermission, and in a fixed location. The actor-manipulators of the inflatable structures interact with the audience during the show.

  • All-ages show
  • Fixed format, with introductory parade
  • Nighttime performance
  • Duration: 55 minutes
  • Team: 26 people + 15 local participants
  • Audience: 10.000 and more
  • Performance area: 80m x 60m
  • Helium: 350 m³
  • Equipment: 5 tons, 25 m³

Saurien Parade

A giant from the depths of time

In the Saurien Parade, a colossal creature emerges from ancient times to roam through the heart of the city. Saurien, a dinosaur of breathtaking dimensions, moves slowly, followed by a mysterious procession where undulating tritons and shadowy abyssal figures intertwine. Its passage oscillates between fascination and mystery, evoking a forgotten world where giants once ruled.

By day or by night, these creatures evolve with or without portable lighting, crafting an atmosphere that blends prehistoric dreams with urban poetry. The parade’s modular format allows for adjustments in scale and scope, adapting seamlessly to different settings and audiences—ensuring each performance remains a unique and spectacular experience.

This parade is designed for a family audience and does not include elements that could cause conflict or crowd movement. Performer-puppeteers guide the inflatable structures within the audience, making for an immersive and interactive experience.

  • All-ages parade
  • Walking performance
  • Duration: Up to 2 hours
  • Team: Depending on the chosen option

Pearl

An iconic creation that continues to amaze

Since its debut in 2002, Pearl has captivated thousands of spectators across the globe, becoming one of Plasticiens Volants' most iconic performances. This aerial spectacle transports audiences into an immersive underwater world, where giant marine creatures take flight above the crowd. With a powerful visual narrative and breathtaking scenography, Pearl has mesmerized audiences of all ages, establishing itself as a timeless reference in open-air performances.

A smaller version of this show is also available—information upon request.

This performance is designed for a family audience and does not involve elements that could cause conflict or crowd movement. The show takes place without intermission, with performer-puppeteers guiding the inflatable structures within the audience.

  • All-Ages show
  • Fixed and/or walking performance
  • Duration: 55 minutes
  • Team: 22 people + 5 local participants
  • Performance area: 40m x 60m
  • Audience: 5.000 to 10.000
  • Helium: 200 m³
  • Equipment: 2 tons, 12 m³

The Great Expedition

A whimsical adventure for the whole family

With The Great Expedition, wonder and absurdity blend together to take both young and old on the most outlandish of explorations. Édouard Lavase, the tireless adventurer and renowned cryptozoologist, makes a stop with his improbable menagerie after a long and perilous journey around the world. Fantasy and humor are at the heart of this wacky expedition, where each discovery brings a new surprise.

This performance is intended for a family audience, with intentions unlikely to generate conflicts or crowd movements. The performance takes place without an intermission, and the actor-manipulators of the inflatable structures interact with the audience during the show.

  • All-ages show
  • Fixed format, with introductory parade
  • Nighttime performance
  • Duration: 45 minutes
  • Team: 22 people + 11 local participants
  • Audience: 5.000
  • Performance area: 40m x 30m
  • Helium: 160 m³
  • Equipment: 2 tons, 10 m³

Looking for a custom-made inflatable to own? See the options here and contact us for details: https://air-fabric.com/entreprise-air-fabric

About Plasticiens Volants

Plasticiens Volants, founded in 1976, revolutionized street theater with their use of giant inflatable puppets and aerial storytelling. Their visually stunning performances, often featuring fantastical creatures soaring above the crowd, have made street theater a more immersive, communal experience.

Through works like La Ballade des Anges and their involvement in large events like the Olympics and international festivals, Plasticiens Volants brought visual grandeur to street performances, proving that ephemeral art in public spaces could achieve the same awe and technical sophistication as traditional theater.

Plasticiens Volants had three successful US tours with Rochester Fringe Festival and Artpark with their three productions in 2017, 2019 and 2022. Sonia Clark produced all three tours and we would be happy to support any of your technical and touring questions about this new show, as well as facilitate your relationship with the artistic team. 

More Currently Touring Plasticiens Volants Shows

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