Our Journey

Based in the heart of Paris, Compagnie Miselyum, founded in 2022 by Ladin Avşar Tokuç and Sencan Oytun Tokuç, is an independent theatre company situated at the crossroads of artistic creation, non-formal education, and social engagement. At the core of its artistic approach lies physical theatre — a universal scenic language that engages the body, movement, and collective imagination to create spaces of encounter between individuals and cultures. The company develops productions and projects that explore contemporary themes such as rebuilding the balance between humans and nature, the interconnection between living beings, individual and collective transformations, and experiences related to migration and multiple identities.

02Our Team

The Collective

Performance artist focusing on the limits of the body and its relationship with space. Blending physical theatre and contemporary dance practices to seek new languages of expression.

Ladin Avşar Tokuç

Fondator/ Artistic Director

Performance artist focusing on the limits of the body and its relationship with space. Blending physical theatre and contemporary dance practices to seek new languages of expression.

Profile

An actor who creates characters within visual and sonic worlds. Using voice, body, and a strong relationship with space, they craft immersive performances that draw the audience in.

Sencan Oytun Tokuç

Fondator/ Artistic Director

An actor who creates characters within visual and sonic worlds. Using voice, body, and a strong relationship with space, they craft immersive performances that draw the audience in.

Profile

Selin Altunkaynak Vodina

Conseil

Profile

03Shows

Creations

Living Books

Living Books is a series of workshops and storytelling events designed for Turkish-speaking children living in Paris and its surrounding areas. The project brings children together with Turkish children’s literature through creative and participatory artistic practices.During the sessions, children’s books are read together in Turkish. The stories are not only listened to but also brought to life through different creative techniques such as puppetry, drawing, drama games and theatre.Children are invited to enter the world of the story, explore its characters and recreate the narrative with their own imagination. Through this process, they use Turkish actively and creatively through play, movement and artistic expression.In a multilingual environment like Paris, the project aims to create a warm and welcoming space where children can practice Turkish, share stories and develop their creativity.Living Books seeks to support children’s language development while strengthening their relationship with books and storytelling.Project LeadersLadin Avşar TokuçTheatre artist and educator.Selin Altunkaynak VodinaResearcher and writer.Collaboration with EHPAD Bastille - Groupe VYV

Ce n'est pas encore fini

English Version“To the glory of the world that does not change despite all the dreams we have.”Excerpt from the film Ulysses’ Gaze by Theo AngelopoulosThis live performance is dedicated to all the children who had to leave their lands because of war and who lost their lives during their migration journeys.The performance tells the story of an island located on the Eastern Mediterranean migration route, highlighting the story of a child who tries to build a refuge using the objects left behind by migrants on the island.We were inspired by a museum on the island of Lampedusa. The museum, PortoM, exhibits objects that were abandoned or found on the island.The stories of migrants arriving from the sea, rescue organizations, the inhabitants of the island, and the child—our main character—intertwine with one another. In this wordless performance, physical theatre techniques, including shadow theatre and mask theatre, become essential elements of the narrative.After a three-week artistic residency at Cirque Fontaine aux Images, the production titled Ce n’est pas encore fini continues its creative journey.Why this title?“Nothing is finished. Nor does it fail. I returned to the place where a story floating in the past began. A story that loses its clarity in the dust of time and suddenly returns like a dream.”— Theo AngelopoulosMigration may have existed for as long as humanity itself. It is a phenomenon whose methods change while the reasons remain the same. The subjects may change, but the stories have remained similar for years.When people are forced to migrate, they often believe that this journey will end one day. However, for our main character, the child, this journey is not finished. Just like for many other children who are victims of war and lost in migration. Their journey is not yet over. Perhaps it never will be.Nevertheless, we will continue to tell these stories wherever we are in the world.“Among the belongings left behind by refugees who managed, somehow, to continue their journey toward Europe after arriving on the island of Lesbos, clothes, shoes and toys stand out as bitter memories of this fatal journey.”This piece, in which light, sound and music create a surreal world, borrows the figurative language of dreams from poetry, creating a layered language. The text of our wordless performance was written through a process in which light, sound and music were treated holistically.We attempted to create a piece that does not follow a conventional narrative structure. Instead of linking actions through a classical dramatic structure, they are connected through their own poetic causality, inspired by the layered language of images that emerges when words disappear.We are creating this performance through physical improvisations on the theme with two actors based in Paris.The TeamLadin Avşar Tokuç – ActressSencan Oytun Tokuç – ActorDidem Coşkunseven – Sound DesignDr. Selin Altunkaya – Project ConsultantCalendarResearch Laboratory17 May – 27 May 2023Kumbaracı50 Theatre – Istanbul, Turkey23 June – 1 July 2023Théâtre d'Étoile – Izmir, TurkeyResidencies7 August – 27 August 2023Fontaine aux Images – Clichy-sous-Bois (Île-de-France)16 March – 20 March 2024Le Cinq – 104 – ParisSources of InspirationCinemaCharlie Chaplin – The Immigrant (1917)Bahman Ghobadi – Turtles Can Fly (2004)Theo Angelopoulos – Migration Trilogy(Ulysses’ Gaze, The Weeping Meadow, The Dust of Time)Panah Panahi – Hit the Road (2021)Children’s LiteratureFrancesca Sanna – The Journey (2016)Francesca Sanna – Me and My Fear (2018)Chris Naylor‑Ballesteros – The Suitcase (2019)Kate Milner – My Name Is Not Refugee (2017)Shaun Tan – The Arrival (2006)

Chez Moi

“...The house is the room.An island.(In its tranquility)An inner call.A tribute to confinement, to solitude.Yet we always see a house.But the house is the spectator.It wanders, it lives as if it did not exist.It opens and closes the doors.Inside the house, everything exists for the other.The house lives only for itself.In every situation, it withdraws.The house is always awake.It speaks of everything. Everything has meaning for the house.(Nothing escapes meaning.)Man is an island.The house: A world.”Poem: “Room”by İlhan BerkChez Moi – In Search of What a Home IsWhat is a home?Is it the walls that surround us, or the memories that inhabit them?Is it the silence of a winter evening, the echo of laughter, or the whisper of a beloved voice?Chez Moi is a journey, an intimate quest through the theatre of masks, where each scene is a breath and each house a memory. Here, masks do not conceal—they reveal. They release the questions that words hesitate to formulate and invite us to look behind the façades.Each episode transports us into a different universe, a house vibrating with life, absence, light or solitude. It is not simply an exploration of places, but a meditation on what binds us to them: the warmth of relationships, the weight of absence, and the refuge of dreams.Chez Moi is not fixed. It breathes, evolves, transforms. This performance feeds on the responses of the audience, on their thoughts, on their own ideas of “home”. It is an invitation to reflect, to feel, and to share.Open this door. Enter this home made of poetry, theatre and life. And perhaps, somewhere along the way, you will recognize an echo of your own story.The TeamLadin Avşar Tokuç – Direction and Mask CreationSencan Oytun Tokuç – ActorDeniz Heval Kandemir – ActressCollaborationsAu Chat Noir, Ehpad Bastille Groupe VYV

Belki de Komiktir

İyi Aile Çocuğu - Proper Child

İyi Aile Çocuğu - A Proper Child – Turkish Stand-up Known to Paris audiences from the show “Belki de Komiktir,” Oytun returns to the stage with his solo stand-up performance A Proper Child.“People will judge you wherever you go,” he says. Starting from this familiar social pressure, the show humorously explores the idea of the “proper child” — the one expected to behave, succeed and represent the family in the “right” way.Through personal stories and shared experiences, Oytun reveals the invisible rules, contradictions and expectations surrounding what it means to be a “good child from a good family” in middle-class culture.After moving from Turkey to Paris, he created the İyi Aile Çocuğu Podcast, where he examines the pressures and moral expectations placed on children growing up in ordinary middle-class families in Turkey. That universe now comes to the stage in this performance.Blending personal anecdotes, recognizable family situations and sharp humor, the show invites the audience to laugh while reflecting on their own experiences.All the “proper children” of Paris — don’t miss this show.

Açık Mikrofon

04Projects

Our Projects

2024 - Aujourd'hui

Movement and Play

Workshop ObjectiveThis workshop aims to strengthen women’s bodily awareness, foster liberation through play,and create meaningful connections through solidarity. Designed from a feminist perspective,the workshop creates a space of resistance against historical and social pressures onwomen’s bodies.For centuries, women have been turned into beings whose relationships with their ownbodies are defined, controlled, and silenced by external forces. This workshop seeks to givevoice—through the body—against this very silence.It relies on the transformative power of movement and play. It sees joy and collectivecreation as a form of resistance.Participants will reconnect with their own stories and inner strength through physicalexpression, creative writing, and group games.We believe that a space where women dance, play, and write together can spark not onlyindividual but also collective transformation. Reviving solidarity among women is one of theworkshop’s fundamental goals.Content and MethodologyThe workshop unfolds along three main axes:● Movement: Exercises that remind the body of its natural rhythm, capacity, andmemory; includes improvisational exercises and guided group dynamics.● Play: Physical and verbal group games where participants connect through laughter,joy, and touch.● Free and Creative Writing: Short creative writing exercises where the body andmemory are translated into words. A space of expression that emerges from silence.The entire process is framed by a game-based, safe, and non-judgmental approach.Technical Details● Duration: 2 hours total (including a 10-minute break)● Number of Participants: Between 8–20● Venue:○ A flat, empty, and airy indoor space of at least 5x5 meters, or a quiet outdoorspace (such as a park or forested area).○ The floor should be comfortable. Participants should be able to sit and lie onthe ground.● Materials:○ Speaker and music player○ Mats for participants (they are encouraged to bring their own)○ Water bottles and notebooks/pensTarget AudienceThis workshop is open to women of all ages, cultures, and professions. No prior experienceis required.The workshop has previously been conducted with war-affected women, migrants, studentgroups, women with physical disabilities, elderly individuals, and white-collar professionals inboth Turkey and France, reaching over 500 women.Feminist and Political ContextWorking with women is more than a space for personal growth—it’s an act of healingcollective memory. One of the most powerful ways to resist patriarchal control over the bodyis to reconnect with it and make its memory visible.Play becomes a joyful, supportive, soft yet powerful medium for this reconnection.Creating a space where women move freely, laugh, and play is not just a workshop—it is afeminist intervention.Therefore, conducting this work in public spaces with the support of local governments iscrucial for expanding inclusivity, equality, and women’s solidarity.About the FacilitatorLadin Avşar, born in 1986, is a theatre artist and creative facilitator living in Paris. She hasworked in the fields of movement, theatre, and creative drama for over twenty years. She isknown for her creative workshops with migrant women, children, and disadvantagedcommunities.In France, she has collaborated with the Transformative Activism group founded by theGender Studies Unit of Sabancı University, focusing on narrative and social transformation.She also completed the “Trauma-Informed Movement Facilitation” training led by TuğçeUlugün Tuna, founder of the Contemporary Dance Department at Mimar Sinan University ofFine Arts.She is currently the artistic director of the Paris-based Compagnie Miselyum.

2026

Erasmus + KA 153 Project - Embodied Cities: Empowering Youth Workers in Disadvantaged Cities through Body Based Pedagogies

Embodied Cities aims to empower youth workers by introducing embodied and artistic pedagogies that can help engage young people who face barriers such as language differences, social exclusion, or lack of access to cultural opportunities. The project combines physical theatre, improvisation, dance, visual arts, and intercultural exchange to create innovative tools for youth work and non-formal education.Participants will work together to explore how artistic practices can become practical tools for inclusion, communication, and creativity in youth programs.The project is implemented in partnership between:Compagnie Miselyum (France)Asociación Cultural Transeúnte (Spain)Kulturrummet (Sweden)Diwan Academy (Türkiye) Training ActivityThe main activity of the project is a 13-day international training course hosted by Diwan Academy in Batman, Türkiye, including a cultural visit to Diyarbakır. The training is based on non-formal learning methods, combining practical workshops, artistic experimentation, and intercultural dialogue.Participants will explore methods such as:Movement and Physical Theatre TrainingInspired by Lecoq pedagogy, participants will explore body awareness, movement analysis, the “seven levels of tension,” and the study of natural elements such as earth, air, water, and fire. Physical practices including yoga, Feldenkrais, and meditation will support the connection between inner awareness and creative action. Improvisation, Physical Character CreationWorkshops will focus on improvisation techniques, action and reaction, conflict situations, and character development through voice, gestures, and storytelling. Participants will learn how to design creative exercises that stimulate imagination and collaboration among young people. Autocours – Collective Creation ProcessParticipants will work in small groups to develop short theatre pieces inspired by daily themes. These collaborative creations will allow participants to practice facilitation, teamwork, and leadership skills that are essential in youth work. Interdisciplinary Artistic LabsThe program includes creative labs connecting different artistic disciplines:Visual Arts & Movement workshopsSwing dance and theatre expressionMusic, rhythm, and collective sessions Cultural Exchange and Local ContextParticipants will discover the local cultural scene through theatre visits, performances, and community interactions, including an introduction to regional artistic traditions. Erasmus+ Capacity BuildingWorkshops on Erasmus+ opportunities will support participants in developing their own future projects and understanding how to apply for European youth programs. Final Public PerformanceAt the end of the training, participants will collectively create and present a public performance in a local public space, sharing their artistic exploration with the community. Participant ProfileWe are looking for youth workers, artists, educators, and cultural practitioners who are active in fields such as:theatre and performancedance and movement practicesmusic and DJ culturevisual arts and mural artstand-up, storytelling, or ritual practicescommunity arts and urban festivals Participants should be motivated to explore interdisciplinary artistic methods and apply them in their work with young people.The project particularly welcomes participants who:work with young people in diverse or disadvantaged communitiesare interested in non-verbal and body-based communicationwant to experiment with creative methods in youth workare open to intercultural collaborationAge: 18+ (There is no age limit) ParticipantsThe project will bring together 30 participants in total including 6 facilitators:France – 6 participantsTürkiye – 6 participantsSpain – 6 participantsSweden – 6 participants Each partner organisation will select main participants and reserve participants through an open call and application process.Financial ConditionsThe project is funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.The project covers:AccommodationFood during the activityLocal program costsTravel costs will be reimbursed according to Erasmus+ distance bands.Participation in the project is free of charge.Participant CommitmentSelected participants are expected to:Attend the full duration of the trainingActively participate in workshops and group activitiesContribute to collaborative artistic processesTake part in reflection and evaluation sessionsShare the project results within their local communities after the mobilityHow to ApplyTo apply, please complete the application form provided by the partner organisation in your country.Selected participants will be contacted after the evaluation of applications.If you are interested in exploring how art, movement, and embodied practices can transform youth work, we warmly invite you to apply and become part of the Embodied Cities international network.

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