Founded in June 2004, under the initiative of Etienne Bayart and Mathieu Chouinard, the Houppz! Collective brought together young theatre artists from l’École Intenationale Jacques Lecoq with a shared passion to create theatre which is visual, comedic, poetic and lively.

The debut creation of the Houppz! Collective, The True Story of Little Red Riding Hood, premiered in July 2004. A re-inter-pretation of the famous tale by the Brothers Grimm, the spec-tacle was created and performed by members from France (Etienne Bayart), Canada (Mathieu Chouinard), Sweden (Johan Westergren) and the United States (Emily Kreider). Their desire for cultural exchange led them to tour Central Europe playing over 50 times in the streets of Freiburg, Bale, Vienna, Berlin, Copenhagen, Strasbourg and the outdoor festival: Scenes de Rue in Mulhouse.

In September 2004, Dan Watson joined Etienne and Mathieu to become founding members of Houppz Théâtre, a Franco-Canadian company. The company then prepared a new spectacle: a comedy exploring the theme of water.

In July 2005, SplasH20 was created in New Brunswick and toured the Fringe Festivals of Edmonton and Vancouver where it was received warmly by audiences and critics alike. It will be produced in July 2006 in Toronto and New York, then in the summer of 2007 in New Brunswick and France.

Born of a shared desire for artistic creation and exploration, Compagnie Houppz! promotes physical theatre where the richness of the images contrasts with the economy of our means. The members of the company are all graduates of l’École Internationale Jacques Lecoq (Paris), a world renowned leader in the creation of physical theatre.

The greatest strength of the company is its international aspect, allowing an artistic and personal intercultural exchange in an open, respectful and honest context. Through movement, Compagnie Houppz! seeks expressions of humanity that push the boundaries of culture and speak a language accessible to all.