Avignon OFF 2026: L'Impératrice, second chapter of Les deux soleils saga, at La Nouvelle Étincelle

At the 2026 Avignon OFF festival, La Nouvelle Étincelle hosts L'Impératrice, the second installment of Compagnie La Cape d'Argent's heroic fantasy saga Les deux soleils, following Pina. Written and directed by Alexandre Lucas Bécourt, the play follows Eléonore, a joyful heir to a fantastical kingdom who, after her parents' disappearance, conquers neighboring lands to build an empire. After an unexpected event, she wakes up alone in the mysterious Entre-Terre, a passage between life and death, and embarks on an initiatory journey back to the surface, confronting strange creatures and her emotions. The production blends Monty Python-style humor with Miyazaki's poetry, featuring dynamic staging and 3D-printed masks. Five performers and musicians create an epic scenic fresco that intertwines comedy, politics, and imagination. The play won the Prix du Meilleur auteur contemporain from Avignon à l'unisson in 2025. Critics have praised it as an unmissable modern theatrical epic that mixes the marvelous with the political, laughter with pain, and fall with rebirth. La Cape d'Argent develops grandiose, dreamlike theater for all audiences, combining narrative, music, and strong imagery.