Théâtre de l’Oiseau-Mouche

Théâtre de l'Oiseau-Mouche is one of the most distinctive cultural venues in Roubaix — a stage that has spent nearly five decades proving that professional theatre and full inclusion of people with intellectual and psychological disabilities are not opposites. It works less like a conventional repertory theatre and more like a small cultural factory, where performance, dining and everyday professional life share the same converted industrial site.

What is the Compagnie de l'Oiseau-Mouche?

The company was founded in 1978 and turned professional in 1981. Its founders were reacting against two things at once: the near-total absence of people with intellectual disabilities from theatre stages, and the habit of labelling any art they did make as therapy rather than genuine artistic work. The answer was a permanent, salaried acting troupe — today around twenty actors living with intellectual or psychological disabilities, backed by a wider staff of roughly sixty people who keep the venue and its programme running. Over more than forty-five years the company has built a repertoire of over sixty original productions and delivered more than two thousand performances, touring across France and abroad. The programme is deliberately eclectic and constantly evolving, which is why the company resists being pigeonholed as a classic repertory house.

What will you find on site?

The theatre occupies a former spinning mill, a type of building closely tied to Roubaix's history as a textile powerhouse. The conversion is unusually thoughtful: the old workshop halls became the auditorium, the former mill owner's house now holds the company's administrative offices, and the stage itself operates out of the old garage building — which is exactly why the main performance space is known as "Le Garage." The same industrial complex also houses two restaurants run in a spirit of inclusive, socially engaged catering — l'Alimentation and Le Garage — serving simple, carefully made food built around local produce. A visit here can easily stretch into a full afternoon or evening, since the site itself, not just the stage, carries a piece of Roubaix's industrial memory.

How to get there and when to visit?

The venue sits at 28, avenue des Nations-Unies in Roubaix (postal address 138, Grand-Rue). Roubaix is part of the greater Lille metropolitan area, well connected by rail and metro to central Lille, so reaching it from anywhere in the Hauts-de-France region is straightforward. Because the Oiseau-Mouche runs on its own seasonal artistic calendar rather than offering casual walk-in visits, the best approach is to plan a trip around a specific show from the current season rather than expecting a general tour of the building — this is a working theatre first, an attraction second. Check the programme and book tickets ahead of time, and consider pairing the show with a meal at one of the on-site restaurants.

Frequently asked questions

What makes Théâtre de l'Oiseau-Mouche different from other theatres? It is a professional stage built around a permanent troupe of actors with intellectual or psychological disabilities, founded specifically to counter the idea that their creative work is merely therapy.

When was the company founded and how long has it been active? The Compagnie de l'Oiseau-Mouche was founded in 1978 and has been professionally active without interruption since 1981.

Is there anything to do here besides watching a performance? Yes — the former spinning mill also houses two restaurants, l'Alimentation and Le Garage, serving food based on local produce in an inclusive, socially engaged spirit.

Do you need to book tickets in advance? Yes. The programme changes seasonally and seating in the converted workshop halls is limited, so it is worth checking the schedule and reserving tickets ahead of your visit.