The Giant’s Journey, Limerick
One day an Irish Grandmother Giant, having fallen from the sky, found herself spread-eagled in a potato field in the middle of Munster. The peasants, who were surprised by her apparition, put her up in a barn on their property, and they fed and took care of her every day as best they could.
However, after a certain amount of time, they couldn’t afford to keep her anymore and so they put her on a train to Limerick. To welcome her, men built up a wall of light, made of car lights, like the stars of a tidy galaxy. As soon as she had arrived at the railway station, she was greeted by thousands of people who had come from all over Ireland.
The Grandmother Giant, crossing the galaxy yet again, will wait for the day when she will fall once more into the potatoes of Munster.’
The world renowned Royal de Luxe street theatre company unleashes its Giant Saga on the unsuspecting Irish public this September 5th-7th, an original tale, developed and specially scripted for the city of Limerick. Limerick will be transformed as the massive Giant rambles through the streets, transfixing audiences for 72 hours of free entertainment.
Young and old will rub shoulders as they follow the Giant’s progress on its epic three day journey. Already more than 18 million spectators have been moved by the universal sagas of the Giant’s stories and the ‘Limerick Story’ will soon be part of this international saga and make a mark on the collective memory of the city for future generations.
Royal De Luxe is an incredibly successful and world renowned street theatre company. Big friendly Giants brimming with humanity, vulnerability and vivacity, tell a specific story tailored for each territory. They travel the world, from Nantes (France) their home town, to Guadalajara (Mexico), through Berlin (Germany), Santiago (Chile), Reykjavik (Iceland), Anvers (Belgium), Foulou (Cameroon), London and Liverpool (United-Kingdom), Barcelona (Spain)… and ignite enthusiasm and emotion everywhere they go.
Their inimitable humanity and the empathy they induce have become signature traits of The Saga of the Giants all over the world. Royal de Luxe is a French company founded in 1979 by Jean-Luc Courcoult and have since played in front of more than 18 million spectators with around 1,380 shows in more than 170 cities, in 40 countries on the 5 continents.
Jean-Luc Courcoult, author-director and creator of the street theatre company Royal de Luxe, is considered as the pioneer of the street theatre worldwide. He has developed different types of theatre including: square theatre; theatre of display windows; dream situations; and more famously the ‘Giants Saga’ series which tell stories at overall city level during three or four days. These Giants characters are handled – such as puppets – by tens of Lilliputians which has become their clearly identifiable signature of Royal De Luxe.