“Shame must change sides.” With these words, and her courageous decision to make her trial public, Gisèle Pelicot ignited an international reckoning in the fight to end violence against women. What began as the Mazan rape case, in a small town in southern France, revealed how ordinary men across ages and social backgrounds could commit an unthinkable crime, the repeated assault of an unconscious woman. This urgent evening of readings revisits examinations, pleas, and commentaries from the trial. Created by Servane Dècle and Milo Rau in collaboration with Pelicot’s lawyers, the court, psychological experts, legal commentators, witnesses, and feminist organizations, it confronts not only one case, but the global system of patriarchy itself.
Performed at Judson Memorial Church.
STREAMING
While tickets have sold out, this production will be streamed on HowlRound
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Milo Rau is a Swiss director, writer and filmmaker. Critics call Rau the “most influential” (Die Zeit), “most awarded” (Le Soir), “most interesting” (De Standaard), “most controversial” (La Repubblica), “most scandalous” (New York Times) or “most ambitious” (The Guardian) artist of our time. In projects like The Congo Tribunal, La Reprise, Orestes in Mosul, and The New Gospel or School of Resistance, Rau posits that theater does not have to be detached from society but that it is a necessary contribution to politics, culture, and society – a place to tell true stories that shape our society. After six years as artistic leader at NTGent, Rau was appointed as new curator of the Wiener Festwochen in Vienna. The 2024 season will be his first as curator. Rau remains on board at NTGent as house artist.
Servane Dècle is is a French dramaturge, writer, actress, and performer who uses a multi-disciplinary approach to tackle urgent contemporary issues. She worked as a civil engineer and has been collaborating for several years with theatre artists Milo Rau, Simon Roth, and Clara Hédouin, among others. She also performs her own plays.
The Vienna Festival (Wiener Festwochen) is a major annual art and culture festival running for five weeks in May/June, known for bridging tradition with contemporary art, presenting international theatre, music, opera, and performance, and often tackling socio-political issues through events like the 2024’s “Free Republic of Vienna,” a radical reimagining of the festival’s structure with citizen participation. It aims to connect Austria to the world through art, showcasing both Viennese creativity and global artistic dialogue, building on Vienna’s historical role as a modernist hub
CREATIVE CREDITS
Research and dramaturgy Servane Dècle
Research and direction Milo Rau
Project dramaturgy Nastasia Griese
Executive production: Frank Hentschker
Casting direction: Nicole Ansari-Cox
The Pelicot Trial, a production by Vienna Festival (Wiener Festwochen), co-produced by the Festival d’Avignon, is presented by The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center, CUNY, NYU Skirball, and Judson Memorial Church. Supported by the Consulate General of Switzerland in New York
Special thanks to Gisèle Pelicot’s lawyers, Mr. Camus and Mr. Babonneau, the journalists Adèle Bossard (Ici Vaucluse), Jean-Philippe Deniau (Radio France), Britta Sandberg (Der Spiegel), Valérie Manteau, Marion Dubreuil, Lenaïg Bredoux (Mediapart), Le Monde, La Déferlante, 604.cafe, Tal Madesta, Charles Rojzman, Helene Devynck, psychiatric expert Laurent Layet, prosecutor Jean-François Mayet, lawyer Kabore, Caroline Darian, JC Lattes, feminists Justine Le Noac’h and Nellie (NousToustes 84), Jackie Wang, Neige Sinno, Lisa Giffon, la Ciivise, Morgan N. Lucas, Lola Lafon, Nicolas Hénin, Manon Garcia, Mathilde Levesque, Geoffroy de Lagasnerie, researchers Solenne Jouanneau, Aïcha Limbada, Guillaume Carnino, Baptiste Morizot, Camille Bègue, and Centre Norbert Elias (CNRS- Aix-Marseille Université – Avignon Université) : Dorothée Dussy, Lucille Florenza, Stéphanie Fonvielle, Riwanon Gouez, Mélanie Gourarier, Fatma Hamdoun, Laurence Hérault, Corentin Legras, Céline Lesourd, Perrine Lachenal, Michèle Salord-Lopez, Irène Seriau, Raphaël Perrin.