Geelong’s Back to Back Theatre, led by an ensemble of actors who identify as having an intellectual disability or as neurodivergent, has been selected as the 2026 Portrait artist for the Festival d’Automne à Paris.
Back to Back is the first Australian company to receive the honour.
Back to Back Theatre – quick links
Back to Back Theatre at the Festival d’Automne à Paris
One of the world’s most significant arts festivals, the Festival d’Automne à Paris is renowned for introducing groundbreaking international artists to European and French audiences. Taking place from September to January each year, the festival presents over 80 events in some 60 partner venues across Paris, including the Centre Pompidou, the Théâtre de la Ville and the Odéon-Théâtre de l’Europe, as well as across the broader Île-de-France region.
Each year the festival presents ‘Portraits’ of internationally outstanding artistic figures, programming multiple works by them and providing audiences with rare insights in the featured artist’s body of work and the evolution of their creative practice.
Previous Portrait artists have included Robert Wilson (US), William Forsythe (Germany), Romeo Castellucci (Italy), Unsuk Chin (Korea), Krystian Lupa (Poland), Irvine Arditti and Quatuor Arditti (UK), and Lucinda Childs (US).
Back To Back Theatre now joins this list. The honour follows the company winning the International Ibsen Award in 2022 and the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in Theatre at the 2024 Venice Biennale.
Honouring ‘an extraordinary collective imagination’
‘The Portraits are unique opportunities to enter deeply into the world of a singular artistic voice. In the case of Back to Back Theatre, an extraordinary collective imagination,’ said Francesa Corrona, Director of the Festival d’Automne à Paris, as she announced this year’s Portrait artist.
Corrona said the opportunity to present five works by Back to Back across four venues and public spaces felt ‘both essential and overdue’.
She continued: ‘This Portrait fills a real gap in the French cultural landscape, offering Parisian audiences a rare and ambitious encounter with a company whose work has profoundly transformed contemporary performance.
‘From works created in 2005 to the open rehearsals of Neanderthal, their future creation, nearly 12,000 spectators will experience a body of work that moves between theatre and public space, and that speaks powerfully to the communities and realities of our time.’
The Australian Arts Minister, the Hon Tony Burke, said, ‘I love it when the world honours one of Australia’s finest theatre companies. Back to Back deserve every recognition they receive.’
Back to Back Ensemble is ‘really good at making theatre’
As the 2026 Portrait artist at Festival d’Automne à Paris, Back to Back Theatre will take up residence in Paris for eight weeks across November and December 2026. During this time, the company will present a substantial program, including:
- 2005’s Small Metal Objects at Canopée des Halles (five performances)
- 2008’s Food Court at Odéon Théâtre de l’Europe (14 performances)
- 2011’s Ganesh Versus the Third Reich at Théâtre de la Cité Internationale (five performances)
- 2017’s Radial at Ménagerie de Verre and LaBriqueterie (two new film outcomes)
- Creative development of work-in-progress Neanderthal: Histoire(s) du Théâtre VIII at the Odéon (two weeks)
- Masterclasses, workshops and public discussions
Ahead of its Paris season, Ganesh Versus the Third Reich will also be performed locally for a limited season with University of Melbourne Arts and Culture at the Union Theatre from 17 to 19 June.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Back to Back Ensemble said: ‘In Geelong and other cultural epicentres of Australia, we have some kind of fame but in Paris we are going to be on some pretty big stages that will put us in front of new audience members.
‘We might feel a little bit nervous but we will remind ourselves that we have been touring the world with Back to Back for two decades and we are really good at making theatre. We will trust our instincts and know that what matters to us in the world will matter to audiences in Paris or wherever. We look forward to performing at Festival D’Automne.’
Back to Back’s Artistic Director Bruce Gladwin said: ‘Presenting five works at Festival D’Automne is an amazing opportunity to see the catalogue of Back to Back Theatre’s creative practice spanning 21 years. Retrospectives are usually the bastion of the most respected cinema, music and the visual arts, so as a theatre company it feels exciting and humbling to be bestowed with this Paris Portrait. The invitation is a tribute to the long list of artists who have fed Back to Back’s creative fire since its inception in 1987.’
Gladwin continued: ‘Realising the delivery of five theatrical works across eight weeks will require stamina, logistical precision and refined artistry. Our ensemble of actors and their collaborators are ready for the challenge. As the Artistic Director I am thrilled and honoured to be part of the experience.’
Based in the Victorian regional centre of Geelong, Back to Back Theatre is driven by an ensemble of actors who identify as having an intellectual disability or as neurodivergent. From 2009 to 2023, the company has undertaken 86 national and 124 international seasons of its work, including presentations and screenings at the world’s pre-eminent contemporary arts festivals and venues.
Since 2009, the company has delivered community and education workshops to over 34,000 participants, with a focus on artistic excellence and inclusive practice.
