Democratic capitalism is a competitive social system. Competition among citizens is in its nature. However, this does not explain when, why and how we compete.

With the students in the theatre workshop, we examine at which level a competitive environment is healthy for the society, and at which point citizens become the victims of this model.

France is a republic built on solid foundations. The majority of its citizens are aware of their individual and collective rights and duties.

But no system is perfect. Not even the ones, which were well built over the centuries, which present now adequate guarantees. This is why foundations of a social system must be questioned again and again.

When we reject the request of an immigrant, is it our natural community that we protect? What happens if, as a consequence of this decision, we deprive ourselves of a necessary workforce? What makes an immigrant useful or harmful? What could justify a moment when human integrity turns to be unconscionable? If an unemployed person has to lie in order to get a job, how does this affect our perception of dignity? What is the real value of a decent wage? How far would a parent go to ensure a better life for his child? How far would a terminally ill patient go in order to save the vital organ concerned? Would he break the law to save his life? How long can a Republic maintain competition against millions of hungry people? Can we talk about morality in the struggle for survival?

The aim of this performance is to ask questions, not to answer them. Our work will be successful if the performance will be able to generate a debate with the spectators and also able to encourage them to see theater as it is: a forum for debate about our everyday problems and about the most crucial and fundamental issues of today.

There are various theatrical forms that we use in this performance: traditional and realistic forms, as well as interactive games. The biggest challenge for the students is to create this social forum using their theatre knowledge that they have gained during the last couple of years. We create scenes based on our own ideas and experiences but we also made interviews with residents of Lyon, in the city where ENSATT is located. Some of these interviews will be shown during the performance.

In short, our task is to create a social forum that examines increasingly harsh competition situations in our society, with specific means of the contemporary theater arts.

CAST

Directed by Árpád SCHILLING
Assistant to the director: Laurent DE MONTALEMBERT

Performed by Antoine AMBLARD, Alexis BARBOSA, Sarah BLAMONT, Cyril BOCCARA, Léa GIRARDET, Maxime MANSION, Mathilde MARTINAGE, Pierre-Yves POUDOU, Nelly PULICANI, Elisa RUSCHKE, Mathilde SOUCHAUD

Stage design: Charlotte BONNET, Juliette MOREL
Lights: Pierre LANGLOIS, Lucas DELACHAUX
Sound: Grégoire DURRANDE, Quentin DUMAY
Costume design: Coline DUBOIS, Noémie EDEL
Light technician: Gautier DEVOUCOUX, Thibault THELLEIRE
Sound technician: Élisabeth PARANT, Julien LAFOSSE
Stage master: Gildas CELESTE, Alix VEILLON
Assistant to the Costume designer: Pétronille SALOME
Editor: Céline TOURNEUR, Sigolène PETEY, Agathe MEINNEMARE
Production management: Kathleen ALETON, Marilou ROQUES,Arnaud LAURENS
Technical director: Hugo FRISON

Technical team of ENSATT:

Technical director: Yves FAVIER
Stage master / Props: Didier THOLLON
Stage equipment: Philippe GOUTAGNY
Chief light technician: Eric FARION
Sound technician: Nadine HADZIHALILOVIC
Head of Multimedia Department: Pascal BOYADJIAN
Head of Workshop : Claude CHAUSSIGNAND
Communication: Lionel DEMOL

Photo: David Amenian