Théâtre de sciences binôme : Martin est un poisson

On the occasion of Aix-Marseille University’s 2026 Festival of Science and the Arts, themed “Human/Animal. A shared adventure?”, we are pleased to invite you to a performance of the play Martin Is a Fish. Come and discover this play written by Thomas Flahaut following his meeting with Daniela Banarù, a senior lecturer at Aix-Marseille University’s Mediterranean Institute of Oceanology (MIO / OSU Pythéas (AMU, Univ-Tln, CNRS, IRD)), who studies the causes of the decline in marine wildlife in the Mediterranean! Synopsis Solane and Gojo have been hanging around the coastal road for ten years, watching a dying sea. Martin, the fisherman’s son, takes them on a desperate attempt to save it. When science takes the stage: Martin Is a Fish finally presented in Marseille After the Off d’Avignon Festival, the La Reine Blanche Festival in Paris and the Festival des Géants in Le Havre, Martin Is a Fish is finally being presented in Marseille, the city that nurtured its creation. It was indeed in Marseille, following his meeting with oceanography researcher Daniela Bănaru, that writer Thomas Flahaut conceived this work in the Binôme series by the Les sens des mots company. The play invites audiences to discover a unique experience at the crossroads of theater, scientific research and the major ecological upheavals transforming the Mediterranean today. At the end of the performance, Daniela Bănaru, Thomas Flahaut and the actors will take their places at the edge of the stage to answer questions from the audience. Binôme is an original “art and science” theater program devised by Thibault Rossigneux, director of the Les sens des mots company. The principle is simple and unique: a scientist meets a playwright to discuss their research. An artistic work emerges from this meeting, without the text being written in advance. For Martin Is a Fish, the dialogue took place between Daniela Bănaru, a senior lecturer at Aix-Marseille University and researcher at the Mediterranean Institute of Oceanology (OSU Pythéas – CNRS, AMU, IRD, University of Toulon), and writer Thomas Flahaut. Their discussions focused on the transformations of the Mediterranean: overfishing, climate change, the emergence of new species, changes in fishery resources and the weakening of marine ecosystems. Drawing on this scientific material, Thomas Flahaut composed a text blending poetry, humor and emotion. The play leads us into a sensitive reflection on our relationship with the sea, food and living things, as well as on the individual and collective choices confronting us as our environment changes. The evening will not be limited to the performance itself. It will also allow the audience to discover the scientific and artistic meeting from which it emerged and to explore the subject further with its various participants. The evening will proceed as follows: - 15-minute screening of excerpts from the filmed meeting between the scientist and the author; - 30-minute staged reading of the play by the actors from the Les sens des mots company; - 5-minute video screening of the scientist’s reaction upon discovering the work inspired by her research; - A discussion with the audience, bringing together the artists, scientist and project team. This program creates a direct dialogue between research, contemporary creation and society, making the performance a genuine space for exchange and knowledge sharing. The performance thus makes complex scientific questions accessible in ways other than traditional forms of knowledge transmission. Theater draws on imagination, emotion and storytelling to encourage another way of understanding and questioning the transformations of the world.