Can we count on the mosquito?

Audience: Children ages 6 to 11 and their parents.

Get ready to dive in, feel the thrill, and zoom in! Water rushing by, mosquitoes that pique your curiosity, and cells that reveal their secrets: three storytellers will sweep you away in a show where science becomes an adventure. Come experience an intense moment, where the artists transform research into a true epic. With swirling water, buzzing mosquitoes, and a microscopic world unfolding before your eyes, discover three different scientific tales!

Performances, podcasts, and illustrations will be created as a result of this residency. The podcasts will be available on all major online music platforms.

The “Science Tells Stories” residency has brought together three storytellers in laboratories at the University of Montpellier since September 2025. This project is being carried out in partnership with the network of public libraries and scientific culture institutions as part of theUM “Science with and for Society” initiative.

Francine Vidal’s show offers an immersive and evocative journey into the world of mosquitoes. It features contributions from scientists who share insights into their daily research: Dr. Mathieu Sicard, a university professor at the Montpellier Institute of Evolutionary Sciences (ISEM*), and Dr. Claire Loiseau of the MIVEGEC* laboratory.

What is a mosquito? While this question may seem simple, the answers are not… There are a thousand and one ways to look at a mosquito—a tiny creature that can ruin an evening, or… an entire life! An important player in the journey of pollen or a virus, it is also a key character in tales from Africa and even the Far North. In short, the mosquito is unavoidable! Especially since there’s not just one kind, as you’ll hear and see during this show featuring a storyteller and two scientists.

*ISEM – (CNRS, IRD, EPHE, CIRAD, INRAP, and the University of Montpellier)

*MIVEGEC Unit – (CNRS, IRD, INRAE, and the University of Montpellier)