NEANDERTHAL
Histoire(s) du Théâtre VIII

The internationally acclaimed Australian company, led by neurodivergent artists, presents its latest production.

Whereas Multiple Bad Things – presented at the Théâtre National in 2024 as part of the Kunstenfestivaldesarts – explored the theme of living together, NEANDERTHAL tackles both the notion of intelligence and social hierarchies. A famous narrator specializing in American accents attempts to achieve the life he desires. But nothing goes as planned. Around him, the conventions of the natural history documentary are constructed before being dismantled: wigs, fake moustaches and bits of scenery come and go to the sound of a brass ensemble.

Back to Back Theatre, a troupe of actors who identify as neurodivergent or as having intellectual disabilities, brilliantly sets two stories of exclusion side by side: that of Neanderthals, long considered inferior by evolutionary science, and that of people with intellectual disabilities. Two narratives that history has treated rather harshly. The extinct species holds up a salutary mirror to us here, delivering a sharp rebuke to our certainties about normality.

Copresentation Kunstenfestivaldesarts

Season 2025·2026