"Tell me about a journey": new show for young audience

In June and July 2025, the team of Atlas, impros du monde – Brussels embarked on the creation of its new show for young audiences: “Tell Me a Journey”!

This improvised performance explores themes of interculturality through stories entirely inspired by the children’s participation.

Imagine a slightly dusty attic and a group of child characters, more or less adventurous, who decide to explore it and make a wonderful discovery: a globe. The globe is bored and longs to hear stories of travel. Inspired by objects the globe has left behind in old suitcases, the children begin to tell stories that take place all around the world! To tell these stories, they ask for help from the audience: “Do you speak other languages? Do you have another nationality? Do you know dishes from elsewhere? Which holidays do you celebrate at home?” Each question allows children to express themselves, reflect on cultural topics, and share travel experiences or elements of their identity. Each of these questions also inspires a story—full of humour and poetry, and enhanced by live music—so that everyone can travel together to new destinations, different every time.

How?

To create this show, Atlas benefited from two invaluable forms of support: that of the Municipality of Uccle, through the “creation support – artist” grant awarded to Laurie Andrieu for the creation of the show, and that of La Ferme Rose – Maison des Cultures – Uccle, which hosted both the artistic residency and the premiere performance.

In June 2025, the team was therefore able to take part in an artistic residency at La Ferme Rose to work on the creation of the show. Because even though the performance is improvised, several elements required in-depth preparation:

• The design of what is known as the “décorum”, meaning the set and visual environment, as well as the writing and staging of the introduction and the ending of the show—two sections that are entirely scripted and theatrical. These parts set the tone of the performance and embed the upcoming improvisations within a story and a context that lead children into a richer imaginary world.

• Another essential aspect of the work was this question: how do you improvise stories set in different countries without falling into clichés? Since improvisation means that the text and stories are not written in advance, it is nevertheless crucial to avoid shortcuts. We are committed to offering an open and inclusive vision of the world, and when our stories take place in other countries, it is in order to highlight cultural traits with great care, gentleness and humility. The stories therefore always begin with what one of the performers knows about a country, and they gradually introduce cultural elements: first names, ways of life, places, and so on. The better they know a country, the easier it is for them to introduce cultural elements in a “fair” and respectful way. When they are less familiar with a place, they choose to include fewer elements rather than risk falling into stereotypes. This is why the show relies heavily on the performers’ own knowledge—through their travels, life experiences abroad, or nationalities.

• The final essential element of the show is the music, which is also improvised live by the talented musician Miriam Makram Ghatas and her many instruments. Thanks to her extensive knowledge of musical traditions from around the world, Miriam is able to improvise music that takes both the audience and the performers on a journey at the beginning of each story.

You now know everything about “Tell Me a Journey”, a show inspired by our friends at Atlas, impros du monde Bordeaux and La Rochelle (France) and their performance “Invitation aux voyages – Kids”. Many thanks to them for this wonderful experience and inspiration.

And now?

The show has been created, and the team is eager to perform it and share meaningful moments with children. The performance can take place in a school, a cultural centre, a library, indoors or outdoors. Feel free to contact us to schedule a performance together!

Photos spectacle: @chloe.fersing