A SHOW ON SIX LEGS A traveler approaches from around the corner. You can tell he’s a traveler because he’s carrying a huge brown leather suitcase. A small name tag in the top right corner reveals his name: Monseigneur Neoptera. And only he can open the suitcase—wearing gloves and taking great care, because this suitcase holds not only the world’s smallest theater, but also a handful of tiny circus performers. And these circus performers, mechanical insects, are getting ready for the show right now. THE FLEA CIRCUS REIMAGINED By Machienerie and its trained insects With Scarabées , the company Machienerie does what it does best: poetically linking the circus to the theme of nature, in this case the wonderful world of insects. To do so, we turn to the traditional flea circus, which reached its peak in the early 20th century La Machienerie aims to revive this centuries-old tradition of the flea circus, but in a new form. We put insects in the spotlight (both literally and figuratively). Based on a biological characteristic unique to each animal, we pair them with a circus discipline. For example, the human flea performs a spectacular act on the teeterboard, or two kites face off like real sumo wrestlers and try to throw each other off the tightrope. What will it actually look like? Scarabée will be a “walking act” featuring a portable circus inside an old suitcase. An actor operates mechanical puppets from inside the suitcase, providing poetic introductions and fascinating facts about insects throughout the performance.