Mon Premier Guignol - Le Théâtre La Maison De Guignol, Lyon

Mon Premier Guignol at SALLE 2 - THEATRE MAISON DE GUIGNOL

From our vantage point inside SALLE 2 - THEATRE MAISON DE GUIGNOL, Mon Premier Guignol is more than a performance; it is a first door opened onto Lyon’s most beloved puppet tradition. We welcome families, school groups, and curious first-timers into an intimate room designed for closeness: every seat meets the stage with direct sightlines, the acoustics are tailored to the warmth of live voice, and the lighting is finely tuned so little ones can follow every wink, pratfall, and burst of laughter. In this production, our resident puppeteers introduce the emblematic characters—Guignol, Gnafron, and Madelon—through playful call-and-response moments that invite children to speak up, count, guess, and even caution the hero when mischief lurks behind a curtain. The scenography celebrates hand-crafted textures: vivid backdrops recalling the traboules, the Croix-Rousse spirit of the canuts, and the rhythm of Lyon’s streets, all scaled for small eyes. As a venue, we shape the experience well before curtain time—gentle house lights as families settle, clear announcements, and a stage team trained to keep the show moving at the brisk, musical pace that keeps young attention engaged without losing the depth and kindness of the Guignol tradition.

Mon Premier Guignol is curated to be welcoming whether it is a child’s first theater outing or a return to a family ritual. In SALLE 2 - THEATRE MAISON DE GUIGNOL, we favor a compact performance format that balances the buoyant humor of Guignol’s quick wit with the comfort cues young audiences need: bright, legible visuals; clean sound that carries every syllable; and transitions that never feel abrupt. The puppet booth becomes a little city in its own right, with doors that slam, windows that pop, and a world of surprises that encourages observation. Our team works closely with the puppeteers on timing so that call-and-response moments are crystal clear—children know exactly when to shout “behind you!” and when to listen for clues. For accompanying adults, the show carries the gentle moral backbone for which the character is known: fairness, friendship, and a sly resistance to pomposity. We often see children return to SALLE 2 asking to sit “a bit closer this time,” and we take that as the best review a venue can receive. The goal is simple and ambitious: let the first encounter with Guignol feel empowering, safe, and joyfully noisy, the way live puppetry was meant to be.

The artist’s current season and our living tradition

The puppeteers of La Maison de Guignol are in full creative motion this season, and we are proud to host their work in SALLE 2 - THEATRE MAISON DE GUIGNOL with a refreshed staging of Mon Premier Guignol that emphasizes clarity of storytelling for new audiences. Our technical crew has collaborated with the troupe on nuanced sound cues, brighter color palettes for the sets, and little moments of physical comedy that sparkle in a room of this scale. Around the show, the team continues to expand the repertoire with new episodes drawn from everyday life in Lyon—stories where Guignol’s sense of justice and humor confronts tricky neighbors, mixed-up deliveries, and the occasional officious authority figure. This ongoing artistic activity keeps the craft vibrant: puppets receive careful maintenance and new costumes, musicians contribute short interludes, and our stage managers refine scene changes so they feel like magic to young minds. We program Mon Premier Guignol at times that suit families—mornings, early afternoons, and select weekends—so first-time theatergoers can discover the art form without fatigue. Before and after the curtain, our front-of-house team is on hand to guide seating, answer questions about the tradition, and point out small details children might look for the next time they visit. In this way, each performance becomes a stepping stone into the larger world of Guignol, and SALLE 2 - THEATRE MAISON DE GUIGNOL remains the place where the laughter, the craft, and the city’s memory meet.