Swashbuckling (or De cape et d'épée)

Swashbuckling (or De cape et d’épée) follows two brothers from childhood to adulthood as they navigate a relationship shaped by competition, imitation, and inherited ideas of masculinity. Set in their parents’ basement, the story explores how playfighting and real violence shape both their bond and their sense of self. Combining different styles of stage fighting with reimagined fragments of classical texts—including Romeo & Juliet, The Three Musketeers, Cyrano de Bergerac, Don Quixote, and Frankenstein—the play examines the transmission of a violent model of masculinity from an older brother to a younger. It questions the links between violence, manhood, chivalry, honour, and courage in literature and theatre. Written by bilingual playwrights and performed by bilingual actors, the production will be presented mostly in English, with select French performances under the title De cape et d’épée.