Parade

About

To mark its reopening after two years of renovation, the Théâtre du Châtelet presented “Parade,” an immersive homage to the legendary 1917 ballet by Satie, Cocteau and Picasso. Designed to inhabit both the building and the surrounding public space, the event began on the City Hall forecourt with circus workshops and giant puppets leading the audience into the theatre. The foyers, transformed with whimsical Satie-inspired installations (stacked pianos, flying clowns, an “absinthe room”), prefaced the main-stage program. Under Martin Duncan’s direction, the evening brought together the Ensemble Intercontemporain, the Boîte Noire circus company, and Elizabeth Streb’s Extreme Action troupe. At its core, the production fused contemporary music, shadow-circus imagery, and high-impact ‘extreme action,’ culminating in a striking action-painting finale created live on stage.