Mireille & Mathieu

Mireille & Mathieu are Kathleen Wijnen and Erik Bassier (joined by Esther Maas in 2003) the two met whilst studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent, Belgium. As a photographer (Kathleen) and a graphic artist (Erik) they gradually got involved in theatre projects, resulting in their first collaboration a short puppet act in 1996 and Mireille & Mathieu was born.

Since then Mireille & Mathieu have made 5 pieces of theatre: Zit! (1997), How do Voodoo (1999), Arm (2001), leg@ron (of wa?) (2003) and recently Schaam (2006-7).

ARM was originally made as a result of a request from the Het Huis van Alijn Museum (A museum of Folk Art in Ghent, Belguim) for Mireille & Mathieu to devise a performance featuring garden gnomes, as the museum was featuring exhibitions of gnome-related subjects that year. “We made a show with anything we found on flea-markets, including a few gnomes, who still come peeping into the show now and then…”

Presented in association with Radiator:

In the very beginning it was Radiator…popping up in community centres, out of the way theatres, dingy dives and other unlikely locations bringing off-the-wall performances, experimental theatre, alternative cabaret and much more to a bewildered but appreciative Manchester audience. The brainchild of Jeremy Shine (founding member of greenroom now Manchester International Arts & Streets Ahead.) Radiator grew and grew until in 1983, like a butterfly, it broke its chrysalis and greenroom emerged (founded by Jeremy with Stella Hall). And now Radiator is Back for just one weekend as Jeremy forsakes the streets to bring Mireille & Mathieu to represent the new wave of alternative arts to celebrate 25 years of greenroom.

*Please note that these press quotes have been translated from the French originals.