From June 4 to 14, 2026, Phnom Penh hosts the first official edition of the GOLDEN (r)AGE Performing Art Festival: 13 productions, 7 venues, and artists from Cambodia, France, and Asia.
Led by The Last Stage, this contemporary theatre and dance festival immediately establishes itself as the premier performing arts event in the Kingdom. The Institut français du Cambodge has been a partner since edition 0 in 2025 as well as a co-producer.
Cambodia’s first contemporary theatre festival, the GOLDEN (r)AGE Performing Arts Festival, was born from a desire to show the general public the talents of a new generation of Cambodian artists trained at The Last Stage. After an exploratory “Year 0” edition in 2025, the festival enters its full and ambitious format in 2026: 13 performances and 7 venues (The Last Stage Riverside, The Last Stage Aquation, Factory Phnom Penh, Théâtre Chenla, Institut français du Cambodge, Friends Futures Factory F3, and the SOSORO Museum). Led by The Last Stage, Acting Art Academy, the festival bears witness to the effervescence of a contemporary Cambodian scene in full development, driven by artists who question their identity, their history and their relationship with the world through resolutely contemporary theatrical languages. The festival’s productions are for the most part performed in Khmer, with French and English subtitles.
L’Institut français has supported the GOLDEN (r)AGE festival since its inception, both financially, through the PICC programme “Les Voix de la scène” (Voices of the Stage), supported by the Institut français Paris, and artistically, by co-producing three of the thirteen productions in the festival programme: Finding Myself (In Mirages) by Frédéric Fisbach; A Little Bit All Over the Place by Michael Laub; and Out of My Skin by Jean-Baptiste Phou. A commitment that illustrates the mission of the Institut français: to create the conditions for a lasting artistic dialogue between Cambodia and the international stage.
“GOLDEN (r)AGE is exactly what we seek to support: a contemporary Cambodian creation that embraces its roots while speaking to the world. By co-producing these works, the Institut français is not merely supporting shows—it is investing in human encounters, in artistic languages built together between French directors and Khmer artists. It is this alchemy that lastingly inscribes the voices of the new Cambodian stage in international networks.” Fanny Pagès, deputy director of the Institut français du Cambodge and cultural attaché.
Two Must-See Productions
A Little Bit All Over the Place — Michael Laub & Vanthy Khen
June 5 & 6 at 7:30 PM at the Théâtre Chenla — with the support of the OCIC Group
An explosive and profoundly original creation, A Little Bit All Over the Place is the fruit of an unprecedented artistic encounter between Michael Laub, a contemporary director renowned on the international stage, and Vanthy Khen, a Khmer choreographer with a masterful command of traditional dance. The production brings together nine dancers on stage, combining contemporary theatrical writing with the rigour of classical Khmer dance, set to the music of Mute Speaker and the visual universe of TikTok. A work that breaks down the boundaries of genre.
Finding Myself (In Mirages) — Frédéric Fisbach
June 10 & 11 at 7:30 PM at The Last Stage Riverside
After 6 sold-out performances in March 2026 at The Last Stage Riverside, Finding Myself (In Mirages) returns to the festival. Directed by French director Frédéric Fisbach, associate artist of the Festival d’Avignon and co-founder of the Centquatre in Paris, the piece brings together Khmer artists from the Acting Art Academy alongside international actress Madalina Constantin. It is performed in Khmer, with French and English in simultaneous subtitles. This production is supported by the Institut français and is part of the PICC programme “Les Voix de la scène”. It represents a rare moment of dialogue between Cambodian female voices and the international stage through a text inspired by the screenplay White Noise by Antoine d’Agata.
Chakto II: Professional Meetings alongside the Festival
Running alongside the festival, from June 5 to 11, 2026, Phnom Penh hosts the Chakto II Professional Meetings – the first professional focus entirely dedicated to contemporary live performance in the Cambodian capital. Organised by the Institut français du Cambodge and the French Embassy, Cambodian Living Arts and the Acting Art Academy, and funded by the Institut français Paris through the PICC programme “Les Voix de la scène”, these meetings will bring together nearly one hundred Cambodian and international professionals: programmers, distributors, artists, authors and journalists from France, Asia and Europe.
Over six days, round tables, workshops and informal sessions will create conditions for direct dialogue between emerging Cambodian creation and key figures in international distribution. Confirmed guests include Paul Rondin (Director of the Cité internationale de la langue française, former deputy director of the Festival d’Avignon), Shireen Binte Abdullah (senior programmer at the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, Singapore), Jeff Khan (Creative Director of Asia TOPA, Australia), Adrien de Van (Director of the Théâtre Paris-Villette) and Marie Sorbier (producer of “Point Culture” on France Culture). All meetings are accessible in French, Khmer and English.
Chakto II comes at a strategic moment: as Cambodia prepares to host the Francophonie Summit, these meetings affirm Phnom Penh’s place as a regional cultural crossroads and lay the groundwork for lasting international visibility for Cambodian performing arts.
Photo by: Supplied
