Guignol Et Les Trois Dragons - Théâtre La Maison De Guignol, Lyon

At THEATRE LA MAISON DE GUIGNOL: a living tradition for today’s families

At THEATRE LA MAISON DE GUIGNOL, we are delighted to welcome audiences back to our historic stage for Guignol et les Trois Dragons, a lively new chapter in Lyon’s most beloved puppet-story heritage. Speaking from the heart of Vieux Lyon, we take pride in carrying forward the spirited humor, quick wit, and generous audience rapport that have defined Guignol since the 19th century. With this production, our house places craftsmanship and storytelling at the center: hand-operated figures, carefully painted sets, and a rhythm that invites children and adults to lean forward, laugh out loud, and respond in unison when Guignol needs a cheer. We have shaped this engagement to fit comfortably into a family outing, with clear sightlines, intimate acoustics, and a pace that respects the youngest spectators without ever losing the playfulness and social satire that regulars expect. For first-time visitors, Guignol et les Trois Dragons offers an accessible gateway to our repertoire; for returning friends, it renews the zest, repartee, and mischief that keep Guignol’s spirit so unmistakably alive on our stage.

Inside Guignol et les Trois Dragons

From the moment the curtain lifts, Guignol’s world comes bursting into view with bright colors, deft manipulation, and that distinctive Lyonnais banter that feels both timeless and fresh. In Guignol et les Trois Dragons, our hero is confronted by a triple dose of trouble—three dragons who test his courage, loyalty, and quick thinking. The familiar constellation of companions—Madelon’s good sense, Gnafron’s unshakable camaraderie—keeps the story grounded in shared values of friendship and resourcefulness, while the dragons add an extra spark that invites call-and-response from the young crowd. Our performers animate every moment with precise gestures and nimble vocal work, ensuring the characters’ personalities are vivid from the first clack of the castanets to the last triumphant cheer. The scenography plays with scale: towering silhouettes and sudden reveals, guided by a musical palette that skitters between playful percussion and lyrical interludes. Expect sly winks to the grown-ups and big, generous cues for audience participation. This balance—between gentle suspense, laugh-out-loud farce, and heart—allows us to honor Guignol’s roots while keeping the energy unmistakably contemporary.

As a venue dedicated to the living art of puppetry, our current artistic season underscores continuity and renewal. We are deepening the writing around Guignol with fresh scripts that draw on today’s language and rhythm, and our creative team has been refining manipulation techniques to heighten expressiveness in close-up moments while keeping the bravura slapstick that kids adore. Recent workshop cycles with school groups and family audiences have informed subtle updates to pacing and to the way we cue interaction, so that every performance of Guignol et les Trois Dragons feels immediate, inclusive, and joyfully responsive. On the practical side, we’ve been enhancing comfort and access inside THEATRE LA MAISON DE GUIGNOL—fine-tuning sound for clarity, optimizing seating for young viewers, and spotlighting the artisanal details of the puppets so their carving and painting can be appreciated from anywhere in the room. Throughout the season, we welcome you to explore our broader repertoire on this stage, meet the team after select showings when schedules allow, and share in the buzzing atmosphere that has long made our house a cornerstone of storytelling in Lyon. Whether you grew up with Guignol or are seeing him for the very first time, this production invites you to rediscover why the little hero with the big voice continues to speak so directly to the city—and to every family who steps into our theater.