Anchored in Brest (France) since May 2000, the Compagnie Dérézo offers performances that go beyond frames. From one genre to another, whether indoors or in the public space, the company affirms the necessity of inventing a critical approach to our age, never leaving behind its will to party and civic sense. Unrelenting workhorse feeding a collective desire to undermine the industry of understanding, Dérézo seems to want to slide, like a knifeblade, into the ephemeral gap separating the implicit from the manifest. Here, jumping with both feet into established meaning is a fool’s errand.

Dérézo practices the equivocal like a martial art, an effective antidote to poisoning by language. Because to master language is to master the art of self-defence.

In the heart of the city, the Compagnie Dérézo welcomes the testimonies, the fantasies, and the worries of its inhabitants; and it can reafirm them,

re-enchant the fact that being together is work, responsibility, and a weapon.

Charlie Windelschmidt is a theatre director with Compagnie Dérézo, based in Brest since May 2000. He is the author and director of more than forty productions in France and abroad. His work unfolds both on stage and in public space. He also designs urban performances and responds to major international site-specific commissions (USA, Turkey, Tunisia, Colombia, Indonesia, Italy…).

Contemporary writing lies at the core of his artistic practice. He has notably collaborated with Marine Bachelot, Régis Jauffret, Alexandre Koutchevksy, Lisa Lacombe, Garance Bonotto, Morgane Le Rest, Christian Prigent, Roland Fichet, Arn Sierens, Nicolas Richard, Jessica Roumeur, Gilles Auffray, Laurent Quinton, Stéphanie Tesson, among others. He has directed texts by Charles Pennequin, Christian Prigent, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Jan Fabre, Shakespeare, Bernard Noël, and Lewis Carroll.

While pursuing scientific studies in Toulouse, he had a formative experience in the circus world in the Midi-Pyrénées region, discovering his passion for the performing arts in 1993. After joining the Classe Libre at Cours Florent, he was admitted to ENSATT (École Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Techniques du Théâtre), while simultaneously studying theatre at Nanterre. From 2010 onward, he trained in block-based video programming (Max/MSP/Jitter).

In 2006, 2008, and 2010, he directed an exceptional theatrical journey travelling along the Nantes–Brest Canal: Kabarê Flottant.

From 2007 to 2011, he staged Microfictions by Régis Jauffret, working with more than 400 actors, notably at Théâtre du Rond-Point and live on France Culture during Nuit Blanche in Paris (2008), as well as for the 50th anniversary of the Ministry of Culture at Musée Malraux in Le Havre, and internationally in Atlanta and Washington DC. He was invited again to Nuit Blanche in 2010 with his research project Un trou dans la ville at Place des Abbesses. In 2013, he created Histoires Exquises with Emmanuelle Vo Dinh, director of Le Phare, Centre National Chorégraphique du Havre, presented at Atlas Theater in Washington DC.

He has also been an associated artist at Festival de Poche de Hédé (2008–2010), La Filature – Scène Nationale de Mulhouse (2010–2012), Le Volcan – Scène Nationale du Havre (2011–2014), and Atelier à Spectacle – Scène Conventionnée d’Intérêt National Art et Création du Pays de Dreux (2024–2026).

In 2013, he created Kabarê Solex (Chalon dans la Rue, CNAREP Quelque p’Art, CNAREP Le Fourneau, Festival de Sion – Switzerland, Les Rias…).

In 2015, he received the Villa Médicis Hors les Murs grant from Institut Français for his research on mask traditions in Indonesia, where he worked with several renowned Balinese masters.

From 2016 onward, he developed mobile culinary performance formats (Le Petit Déjeuner, Apérotomanie, and Par les bouches — 2025 creation), still touring across France.

In 2017, he responded to a commission from Institut Français and Théâtre National de Bretagne – School of Dramatic Arts in Rennes, creating Un Hueco en la Ciudad in Colombia, performed in Bogotá, Medellín, Barranquilla, Brest, Rennes, and Bordeaux for the Festival International des Arts de Bordeaux (FAB).In September 2018, Un Hueco en la Ciudad embarked on a new international tour in Majorca, Bologna, and Piccolo Teatro di Milano — Tramedautore Festival 2018.

In 2019, he created La Plus Petite Fête Foraine du Monde at CNAREP La Rochelle, a public-space production for which he received the Beaumarchais grant and the Prix Auteurs d’Espaces. He also created Alice, de l’autre côté at Le Volcan – Scène Nationale du Havre, based on Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll, revived in 2022 at Théâtre de la Tempête (Cartoucherie), Paris.

In 2022, Ce que voient les oiseaux premiered, a camerabased theatrical device for public space, first presented at the cross-border iTAK Festival – Scène Nationale de Maubeuge. The work was selected for L’Aube de la Création at Chalon dans la Rue (2021) and presented in the festival’s OFF program (2022).

In 2024, he created LENNUT: a low-tech cultural promenade (Festival Soñj, Fest’Arts de Libourne, L’Odyssée – Scène Conventionnée de Périgueux…).

In 2025, he created …Et les 7 nains ? (premiere at Le Quartz – Scène Nationale de Brest)

Michelle Urbano is a Toronto-based theatre creator, and the Artistic Director of Crossroads Theatre. This July, she will be the Director of Puppetry in Crossroads Theatre’s Through the Bamboo. She completed a 2024 TAPA RBC Emerging Artist Mentorship with Allan MacInnis. She is currently working as Director of Puppetry for the re-imagining of Through the Bamboo at Crossroads for a 2026 summer production. Formerly co-Artistic Director of puppetry company Artichoke Heart and artist-in-residence at Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia. Recent credits includePhantasmagoria 3D (Eldritch Theatre), WeeFestival (Quest for the Moon, Old Man and the River, Lost & Found). She has worked as a puppeteer with the CBC, Theatre Passe Muraille, Pandemic Theatre, Caterwaul Theatre, and the Old Trout Puppet Workshop, and has contributed to award-winning puppetry productions at Fringe and SummerWorks. She was recognized in 2017 by Cahoots Theatre as one of their “30 for 30” - 30 artists shaping the next 30 years of Toronto theatre

Jocelyne has performed in French and English  in  film, television and voice. She can presently be seen in “11h11” (ICI-télé) and  “Paris Paris” and “C’est comme ça que je t’aime (Happily Married) on GEM.  Other notable appearances include:  “Peak Everything”,  “Designated Survivor” and “Schitt’s Creek” ( Netflix), “The Jane Mysteries” (Hallmark), “The Naughty Nine” (Disney+) “Appelle Moi si tu Meurs” (Illico) ”Ghost Town Anthology” and “The Second time Around”.  Voice includes:  “L’ Affaire Lavallée” (Radio Canada), “Black Lives-The Untold Story” (CBC), “Colosse Plamondon” (Crave) and the video game “Far Cry 6”. Some favorite stage roles: “Les Belles Soeurs-The Musical” (Segal), “Cemetery Club” (Drayton),  and  “St-Leonard Chronicles” (Centaur). Watch for her in the upcoming release of  “Einstein” (CBS) and “Qui a Éclaboussé le Ministre” (Télé-Québec) and the films “Trust me I’m a Doctor” and “Dreams of the Moon”.   In 2012 The Canadian Comedy Awards awarded her Best Performance Female/Feature film for her performance as Nicole in “Funkytown”  https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0958346. 

Malube is delighted to be a part of this artistic pursuit, and is also grateful for Charles Windelschmidt’s courage of bringing Maylis de Kerangal’s words to life in this way, into the world. Most recently, Malube has captivated audiences on stage and on screen, most recently in the critically acclaimed series Indéfendable (TVA, TVA+) & Empathie (Crave, Canal+, et al; Venice TV Award for best series). Her television credits also include: Great Holiday Bake War (OWN - Oprah Winfrey Network), Five Days at Memorial (AppleTV+, ABCS), Trapped With My Husband (Lifetime). Malube’s theatre works include: S’enjailler (CTD’A), Gloria: A Life (Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company), How Black Mothers Say I Love You (Great Canadian Theatre Company; Prix Rideau Award Winner for Outstanding Production), Canada 300 (Watermark Theatre), Next Stage Festival’s production of Sick: The Grace Project (Dora Award nominee for Outstanding Production & Performance in the Theatre for Young Audiences Division). 

Louise began her theatrical journey in Brest, France, in 2004 with a youth workshop. She loved it. She became an actress after performing in several productions while also participating in acting workshops in Paris and Brussels and taking contemporary dance and opera singing classes at the Brest Conservatory. 

She joined the Dérézo company at the end of 2016 and performed in *Le Petit Déjeuner*, *La Plus Petite Fête Foraine du Monde*, *Ce que voient les oiseaux*, *Apérotomanie*, and *Words to be scene*.

Mathilde is an actress and director. In 2018, she wrote and directed a public reading at the Théâtre des Corps Saints (Avignon Festival). In 2019, she was president of the Théâtropolis Festival of Political Theatre (SciencesPo Rennes) where she wrote and directed a stage production. Between 2020 and 2022, she acted in an adaptation of John Fante's Ask the Dust, directed by Maxime Pichon. She joined the Compagnie Dérézo as an actress with the show LennuT, then continued with the shows Par Les Bouches and Words to be scenes. In January 2024, she performed in Gala by Jérôme Bel (Le Quartz, Brest). Since April 2024, she has been a performer and co-director for Ana Hna (French Institutes of Casablanca and Marrakech – Morocco). She encountered Glaz, an immersive theatre piece on sailboats at the Brest Maritime Festival 2024. She created the theater group Poema and is currently working on her second production: Bleue, an immersive theatre piece (Itinéraires d’artiste(s) program, 2025 cohort).

Nikita Faulon was born in 1993 in Paris, where she began her theatrical training at the Cours Florent youth workshops. After graduating from high school, she enrolled in the Montpellier Regional Conservatory's introductory program for two years, then moved to Rennes, where she joined the Professional Orientation Program directed by Daniel Dupont. She earned her Diploma of Theatrical Studies with a production of Frank Wedekind's Spectre du soleil. In 2015, she joined the National Theatre of Brittany's school as part of the ninth graduating class, directed by Eric Lacascade. Upon graduating, she performed in Constellations II (Eric Lacascade), Rêves d’occident(Jean Boillot), Akila, le tissu d’Antigone (Marine Bachelot Nguyen), Ce que voient les oiseaux (Charlie Windelschmidt), Horizon Légende(Pauline Guillerm), and Banquet ! (Collectif les Survenu∙es), Et les 7 nains…? (Charlie Windelschmidt), Debout ! (Frédérique Mingant & Delphine Battour)... She also acts in film and television (Quand le desert avance by Emilie Carpentier) and does dubbing and voice-over work. With Lucas Borzykowski, she  Simone's Revenge and co-wrote their first show, Clytemnestre, in which she plays the title role. Nikita is also the writer and director of the company's second show, Coupables Victimes Coupables. Acting, writing, and singing are at the heart of her work.