Back to Back Theatre

Based in the Waddawurrung territory in the city of Geelong, Back to Back Theatre is an Australian theatre company with national and international recognition. Composed of actors with disabilities or who are neurodivergent, it is considered one of the most influential companies in Australia. Between 2009 and 2025, it has completed 88 national tours and 130 international tours, with productions presented at major festivals and institutions such as the Edinburgh International Festival, the Barbican in London, the Kennedy Center in Washington, and the Public Theater in New York. Since 2009, the company has also developed participatory and educational workshops centred on artistic excellence and inclusive practice. Back to Back Theatre has received 23 national and international awards, including the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale in 2024 for its body of work, an International Ibsen Award, a Helpmann Award, and a New York Bessie Award. In 2015, its artistic director Bruce Gladwin received the inaugural Australia Council for the Arts Award, and in 2019 the company was awarded “Best Ensemble” at the Green Room Awards. In 2026, the Festival d’Automne à Paris dedicates a Portrait to the company.

Cet automne

Odéon Théâtre de l’Europe – Odéon Paris 6
novembernov 10 – 28

Back to Back Theatre
NEANDERTHAL— Histoire(s) du théâtre VIII

Portrait Theatre

Prior to its first performances in 2027, Back to Back Theatre invites audiences to discover the different phases of work behind NEANDERTHAL—Histoire(s) du théâtre VIII by being present during its rehearsals. This ambitious new piece looks into the themes of extinction and cognition.
La briqueterie – CDCN du Val-de-Marne
novembernov 16 – 20

Back to Back Theatre
RADIAL

Portrait TheatreCinemaParticipatory project

Filmed by means of a circular mechanism, RADIAL brings us a portrait of a community in motion. It is equally attentive to the collective whole as it is to the individualities of those that compose it. This in situ creation celebrates and brings together different artistic communities from the Paris region.
Théâtre de la Cité internationale
novembernov 17 – 21

Back to Back Theatre
GANESH VERSUS THE THIRD REICH

Portrait Theatre

GANESH VERSUS THE THIRD REICH, a fable of a droll and moving kind, interweaves two narratives in order to prompt us to examine our perceptions of theatre and handicap. In it, the elephant-headed god travels through Nazi Germany, while the performers ask themselves questions about the pertinence of telling this story. 
Espace public
decemberdec 1

Back to Back Theatre
small metal objects

Portrait Theatre

At the crossroads between urban thriller, social satire and voyeuristic meditation, small metal objects plunges its performers into the perpetual movement of the public space. From within the heart of the crowd, the piece captures all the intensity of a personal drama.
Odéon Théâtre de l’Europe – Odéon Paris 6
decemberdec 4 – 19

Back to Back Theatre
FOOD COURT

Portrait Theatre

Set to music by the Australian trio The Necks, FOOD COURT plunges a woman headlong into the all-too banal horrors of a humiliating experience in the public space. Featuring a cast of three female performers with learning difficulties, the piece transforms into an experience of an intense, unsettling kind.

Back to Back Theatre au Festival d'Automne

2023

Back to Back Theatre The Shadow Whose Prey the Hunter Becomes