Lou Trotignon's 'Mérou' brings trans identity to Paris stage with LGBTQI+ archive collaboration

Comedian Lou Trotignon is performing 'Mérou', a solo show about trans identity, at La Scala in Paris from June 9 to 19, 2026. The show is one of the first French stand-up routines entirely dedicated to trans experience. Trotignon collaborated with the Centre d'archives LGBTQI+ de Paris, which has set up a collection of archives on site. The center, currently housed at Césure in Paris's 5th arrondissement, collects objects, documents, and oral histories. Sam Bourcier, a sociologist and queer activist, oversees its programming. Trotignon named the show after the grouper fish, which is hermaphroditic in early life, to reflect the theme of doubt and identity. Bourcier emphasized that LGBTQI+ communities care for archives in a collective, community-oriented way, and that France lags in preserving such histories. The center allows anyone to contribute and access materials. Trotignon hopes the show helps others feel less alone.