A kepi, a megaphone and an improvised platform: at the L’Isle-en-Dodon market, Emmanuel Volant is bringing the public proclamation back to life. Once or twice a month, this actor and illustrator reads messages submitted by local residents, from classified ads to poems. Beyond the performance, this free initiative creates a space for people to speak and brings generations closer together in the heart of Comminges.
A distinctive voice among the market stalls
On Saturday mornings, regulars at the L’Isle-en-Dodon market can hear an unusual announcement. Among the stalls, conversations and cooking smells, Emmanuel Volant stands out in his sailor’s outfit, kepi and megaphone. Perched on a wooden crate, he becomes the village town crier for the duration of a session.
His event usually takes place on the first and third Saturdays of the month, at around 11 a.m. Before starting, he walks around the market to announce his presence and explain the idea. Then he heads to his small performance space, gathers people’s attention and gives voice to the texts submitted by local residents.
This practice, once familiar in towns and villages, gradually faded after the Second World War. Emmanuel Volant has revived it in his own way: he does more than simply pass on announcements; he turns public reading into a shared moment. The market becomes an open-air theatre, where anyone can stop for a few minutes.
A journey between theatre and illustration
From Parisian stages to the village square
Originally from Brittany, Emmanuel Volant had never imagined making his voice heard in a rural square. He first trained in theatre in Lyon, working in particular with the Jacques Lecoq method. He then spent around ten years in the theatre world, exploring acting, mask work, puppetry and directing.
His career took him to the Théâtre du Soleil, before he felt the need to take a different direction. After several years devoted to the stage, he turned to children’s illustration. This change offered a different way to pursue his interest in storytelling: in theatre, stories are told through movement and voice; in illustration, they also take shape through images.
A return to the South-West
His work as an illustrator accompanied him through various moves, including to the Netherlands and then Tanzania, where he lived with his family. He eventually settled in the South-West, near the border between Gers and Haute-Garonne. Rural life caught his attention and gave him the opportunity to bring to life an idea he had been carrying for several years: giving public speech a visible place in everyday life.
For the artist, a village is a place where opportunities to meet are especially important. The town crier’s call allows him to imagine a space open to everyone, with no screen or advance registration, where practical information can sit alongside a more personal text. This simple format leaves room for spontaneity and discussion.
Boxes for collecting local residents’ words
The setup consists of several small wooden boxes placed in well-frequented spots around the village, including a café, the media library and a local shop. Anyone can leave a message, with their name or anonymously. Emmanuel Volant collects these contributions before the market, then sorts them by theme to prepare his reading.
The subjects are as varied as the people who submit them. They include notices about borrowing or finding a lost item, information about local events, quotations, poems, affectionate declarations and messages about village life. Some texts are just a few lines long; others are more extensive and offer a more engaged perspective on the world.
The town crier says he has not had to leave out any messages so far. Local residents seem to take part in good faith, and the variety of contributions is an integral part of the experience. A lengthy feminist statement, for example, sparked reactions at the market. For Emmanuel Volant, these exchanges are not an interruption to be avoided: they show that the town crier’s call can spark a conversation after the reading.
A stage open to all generations
The audience gathers around the artist as his voice carries across the square. Older people recognise in his presence an echo of the village watchman of old. Children, meanwhile, look curiously at his outfit and strange amplifier, while their parents explain what is happening.
The ritual often begins even before the first announcement. Emmanuel Volant approaches passers-by, explains how it works and invites everyone to come closer. When the time comes, he sometimes leads the audience in a collective countdown. The reading can then begin, carried along by the contrast between familiar messages and the crier’s playfully solemn manner.
The audience remains modest in size, and the artist is not trying to turn this initiative into a major event. He prefers to let it find its place in the rhythm of the market, without pressure to draw a crowd or meet performance targets. This restraint reflects the spirit of the project: to offer a shared moment rather than put on a large-scale show.
Keeping conversation flowing in local life
Emmanuel Volant’s initiative is both an artistic project and a civic endeavour. Local residents provide the material for the town crier’s call; the artist gives it a voice, brings it together and shares it with the audience. A classified ad can thus be heard by neighbours who might not otherwise have come across it, while a personal text finds an audience in the square.
The town crier is also open to suggestions and conversation. The boxes can welcome new ideas, and the meeting can continue over a chat at the café. The initiative even leaves open the possibility that others might one day take up the megaphone in turn. The square is therefore not reserved for a single performer: it serves as a starting point for collective expression.
At a time when exchanges often take place through private messages or online posts, the town crier’s call brings voices back into a shared space. Local residents come together to listen, respond or simply watch. At this market in Haute-Garonne, the age-old role of the town crier is thus transformed into a contemporary gathering, rooted in the words submitted by local residents and the encounters they bring about.
A few milestones in Emmanuel Volant’s career
In 1999, he discovered theatre. In 2004, he founded his puppet theatre company. His first children’s book was published in 2014. In 2026, he launched his first public proclamation at the L’Isle-en-Dodon market.
