Pictures of Love
based on Omphale and The Coffee Pot
by Theophile Gautier

Inspired by two short stories by Gautier where paintings come alive and carpets fall in love

London French Institute

Written and Directed by Cassie Valance

A theatrical performance with three actors on stage in front of a seated children audience in a library setting.

Alongside Victor Hugo, Alfred de Musset and Stendhal, Théophile Gautier is one of the most important French Romantic writers from the 19th Century. Mixing the beauty and the comedy, his most famous novels are Le capitaine Fracasse and The romance of the Mummy which inspired many modern movies. Exchange Theatre created Pictures of Love in June 2011, inspired by two short stories by Gautier where paintings come alive and carpets fall in love.

A show being performed in a library with children watching. There are stage props like chairs and mirrors, with bookshelves in the background.

Creative Team

Commissioned by David Furlong

Adapted, Written, and Directed by Cassie Valance

Stage Managed by Ben Cooper

With Cassie Valance, Niall Costigan, and Becca Horn

Reprised in 2012 by Fanny Dulin, David Furlong, and Ben Cooper