In 2005, a mute stranger found on an English beach turned out to be a piano virtuoso: Marcus Lindeen and Marianne Ségol have adapted this event into a documentary play, presented at Nanterre-Amandiers in partnership with the Festival d’Automne.

On April 7, 2005, on the Isle of Sheppey, in Kent, a young man was found soaked in a suit, without identification. Hospitalized, he didn't utter a word. One day, he drew a piano; seated at a keyboard, he astonished the medical staff. The world's press dubbed him "Piano Man."

From this astonishing news story, Marcus Lindeen and Marianne Ségol have created a new piece in their documentary theater tradition. With the precision of investigators and the soul of philosophers, they examine the narratives we construct in order to exist.

Swedish author and director Lindeen, based in Paris, traveled to England to interview those who had encountered the stranger: a social worker, a psychologist, a hospital priest, and an artist. On stage, Nans Laborde-Jourdàa, Niranjani Iyer, Anthony Bambury, and Bridget O’Loughlin deliver these testimonies live, via earpiece, without memorizing them. The outcome of the story—a young gay man from Bavaria fleeing a homophobic family, immediately branded an imposter by the media—speaks volumes about what we expect from true stories. Premiering at the Théâtre National de Strasbourg in March 2026, the play will travel to Nanterre before moving to the CDN in Orléans and the Théâtre des Célestins in Lyon.

Find this show in our 2026 Autumn Festival selection and in our cultural calendar.

NANTERRE-AMANDIERS
7 avenue Pablo-Picasso, 92000 Nanterre - RER A Nanterre-Préfecture
November 12-22, 2026
Tuesday to Friday at 7:30 pm, Saturday at 6:30 pm, Sunday at 3:30 pm, no performance on Monday - Small Hall
Duration: approximately 1 hour 20 minutes
Tickets: €8-€35

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