TJP Centre dramatique national de Strasbourg

TJP – Centre dramatique national de Strasbourg stands out among Strasbourg's stages as the only French national theatre built around a genuine commitment to puppet art. For visitors, it offers a chance to see performances that blend theatre, dance, and object animation in a form rarely found outside dedicated puppetry festivals.

How did the TJP come to exist?

The theatre was founded in 1974 by actor and director André Pomarat, originally under the name Théâtre jeune public, a stage created for young audiences and also known as Maison des arts et loisirs. In 1990 it was granted the status of Centre dramatique national (CDN), a designation reserved for a select group of French stages recognised as pillars of the country's public theatre policy. That label turned the TJP into a full national theatre institution based in Strasbourg.

Why does it matter for puppet theatre?

What sets the TJP apart from most French drama centres is its sustained focus on puppetry and animated forms. For fifteen years, from 1997 to 2012, the theatre was led by Grégoire Callies, himself a puppet artist, and for the following decade, from 2012 to 2022, by Renaud Herbin, another director rooted in the puppetry tradition. Under these two artistic directions, the TJP built a reputation as a place where the puppet is treated as a serious theatrical tool rather than a children's sideshow.

The clearest proof of that specialisation is the Giboulées de la marionnette festival, launched back in 1977. It is the second-oldest festival in France entirely devoted to puppet theatre, behind only the event in Charleville-Mézières, the acknowledged world capital of puppetry. Over time, the Giboulées grew into one of the TJP's own artistic highlights, drawing both practitioners and audiences from across the country.

Who runs the theatre today?

Since 1 January 2023, the TJP's artistic direction has been in the hands of Kaori Ito, a dancer and choreographer of Japanese origin. Her programme opens the theatre to transdisciplinary work spanning dance, drama, and visual arts, while keeping childhood and youth at the centre of its artistic questions. It is both a continuation and a reshaping of the legacy left by earlier directors — the TJP still speaks primarily to young audiences, but is increasingly willing to experiment with form.

How to get there and when to visit?

The TJP sits in central Strasbourg, well connected to the rest of the city through the CTS tram network, which makes it easy to reach whether you're staying near the historic centre or in a district further from the cathedral. The theatre runs a season from autumn through spring, but for anyone drawn specifically to puppet theatre, spring is the best time to plan a trip — that's when the Giboulées de la marionnette festival takes place, bringing in the richest programme of the year along with artists from across Europe.

Frequently asked questions

What exactly is the TJP in Strasbourg? It's a French national theatre (Centre dramatique national) founded in 1974, known above all for its focus on puppetry and animated forms, though its programme also covers dance and spoken drama.

Is the TJP a theatre just for children? Not quite — while it grew out of the young-audience theatre tradition, successive artistic directors have broadened the programme toward transdisciplinary work aimed at wider, including adult, audiences.

Who currently directs the TJP? Since January 2023, the artistic director has been Kaori Ito, a dancer and choreographer who has brought more dance and visual arts into the programme.

When is the best time to visit for puppet theatre specifically? Spring is the ideal window, when the Giboulées de la marionnette festival takes place — one of the oldest puppetry festivals in France, running since 1977.