Romeo Castellucci's Wordless Faust Opens at Odéon for Festival d'Automne 2026

Romeo Castellucci directs a nearly wordless Faust at the Odéon – Théâtre de l'Europe in Paris from October 30 to November 27, 2026, as part of the Festival d'Automne. The production strips Goethe's text to focus on image, sound, and raw material, with music by Scott Gibbons and dramaturgy by Piersandra Di Matteo. Three performers—Gérard Bayle, Stefania Horodeyska, and Lorenzo Coletta—interact with sculptures and automatons by Plastikart Studio. Castellucci's Faust predates the pact, exploring what he calls 'the vertical collapse of meaning, the separation of words and things.' Mephistopheles is incorporeal, described as 'everywhere and nowhere.' Premiered in Montpellier on October 9-10, 2026, the work then travels to Rome's Romaeuropa festival before a four-week Odéon run and a European tour ending at the Holland Festival in Amsterdam in June 2027. Castellucci, a Golden Lion recipient at the 2013 Venice Biennale and a Festival d'Automne regular since 2000, presents this as a highlight of the 2026 edition. Performances are Tuesday to Saturday at 8pm, Sunday at 3pm, dark on Mondays; duration is approximately 1 hour 30 minutes, with tickets from €10 to €42. The venue is located at Place de l'Odéon, 75006 Paris, accessible by Métro Odéon (lines 4, 10) and RER B Luxembourg.