★One story, three perspectives — a compelling exploration of identity.

An exciting theatrical experience and global immersion in the imaginary.—  Télérama Sortir

This innovative theater is at the frontiers of literature, visual arts, digital and holographic techniques. It also demonstrates that the richness of our imaginations can compete with reality and that sometimes one may be tempted to take refuge there.— Charlie Hebdo

Hikikomori – The Shelter is a futuristic story about the search for selfhood. Through an innovative sound-based structure, it reminds us that the ways we understand existence are as multiple as the ways we inhabit it. The work functions as a laboratory for examining the solitude and detachment of the modern human condition.

Nils is a young boy increasingly out of step with the world around him. Struggling at school and unable to adapt to social expectations, he one day decides to shut himself in his bedroom and withdraw entirely from the outside world. His only contact comes through text messages and the meals left at his door by his parents. As time passes, the isolation begins to take a toll on his family as well. Until one day, his father chooses to break through the barrier that separates them…

Created collectively by Joris Mathieu, director of the Centre dramatique national de Lyon, together with the Haut et Court collective, the work takes its inspiration from a social phenomenon in Japan known as “hikikomori,” in which individuals withdraw from school, work, and social life for extended periods of time. The audience listens through headphones and experiences the story from three separate perspectives: the mother, the father, and the child. Through their inner voices, we are led into the enclosed world of Nils, where the complexity of his retreat slowly unfolds through sound, and a central question emerges: what has happened to him?

The production offers an unprecedented form of spectatorship, one that continues beyond the performance itself. After each show, audiences are invited to share their experience of having followed different narrative paths, comparing what they heard, questioning the choices made by each character, and uncovering the emotions and unspoken tensions that lie beneath the surface of the story.

Haut et Court collective

Centered around the artistic direction of Joris Mathieu, Haut et Court brings together a dedicated group of artists, actors, and creators. Through sustained collective creation, the company has developed a distinctive artistic identity. Their works question the world as it is and imagine what it might become, devising new theatrical experiences that integrate technology to create poetic and spectacular environments, while forging a singular relationship with each audience member.

Their artistic forms are unreservedly theatrical, interweaving image, literature, music, and new technologies. With a particular focus on the virtualization of people and the world, the collective has developed refined expertise in staging floating images onstage, using them as a way to explore the presence and perception of the human figure in performance.

Playwright & Director/ Joris Mathieu with Haut et Court collective
Performer/ Philippe Chareyron, Vincent Hermano, Marion Talotti
Set Design/ Nicolas Boudier, Joris Mathieu
Composer/ Nicolas Thévenet
Lighting Design/ Nicolas Boudier
Video Design/ Loïc Bontems, Siegfried Marque
Stage Manager/ Didier Hirth

Production/ Théâtre Nouvelle Génération - Centre dramatique national de Lyon
Co-Production/ Le Grand R - Scène Nationale de La Roche-sur-Yon