Reviews

All the spirit of Littoral, a humanist road-play that sees a son travel through a war-torn country to bury their father and found a tribe, is on full display. 

Phillipe Chevilley, Les Echos

A large cast, the themes of war, travel and family, orchestrated with depth and originality.

Armelle Héliot, Le Quotidien du Médecin

With Littoral, the first part of his tetralogy Le Sang des Promesses (The Blood of Promises), which has helped him make a name for himself in France and abroad, Wajdi Mouawad confirms his talent for large-scale frescoes and odysseys.

Anaïs Heluin, Le courrier de L'Altas

The poetry begins with the search for a place to bury the father,magnificently played by Gilles David in this cast.

A dead father who talks and rots in the sun. A father who represents all the fathers of the region, all those who could not be buried, like the dead of Covid deprived of a funeral with all their loved ones. Wilfrid's quest becomes that of Simone, Amé, Sabbé (an extraordinary Paul Toucang with flying arms), Massi and Joséphine. Not forgetting, remembering names, honouring the dead, continuing to live despite the atrocities of a senseless war.

L'étoffe des Songes

About Littoral

On finding out that his father has died, a troubled young person searches for a peaceful place to bury the body. The decision is to bury the father in his homeland. But this area of the world is devastated, the cemeteries are full and his father's relatives refuse his remains. During this journey, he meets Simone, an angry young girl who has also faced grief, and many other young people their age. On their way, they experience the realities of each and every one of these young people, and ensure that this father becomes a symbol for the loved ones each of

them has lost.

Littoral was created in  1997 by a group of friends in their thirties who were asking many questions related to existence. Twenty years later, the new generation shares the same angst about love, sorrow, fear, death.

Credits

Playwright/Director: Wajdi Mouawad

Based on an original idea of Isabelle Leblanc and Wajdi Mouawad

Cast:

Gilles David, of the Comédie-Française, as the father

Maxime Le Gac-Olanié as Wilfrid

Lisa Perrio as Joséphine

Hayet Darwich as Simone

Maxence Bod as Knight Guiromélan

Darya Sheizaf as Amé

Emmanuel Besnault as Massi

Théodora Breux as Sabbé

Musicians: Pascal Humbert and Charles Segard-Noirclère

Staging assistant: Vanessa Bonnet

Original music: Pascal Humbert and Charles Segard-Noirclère

Special thanks to Stephie Mazunya, Mohamed Bouadla, Simon Rembado and Pascal Sangla 

Production: La Colline-théâtre national

Stage Manager: Arnaud Godest

Sound Technician: Sylvère Caton

Dresser: Angèle Gaspar

Surtitles Operator: Uli Menke

Lighting Technician: Gilles Thomain

Production Team: Solenn Réto and Marion Le Strat

Chinese Script Translation: Wang Jing

This project would like to express its special thanks to the French Embassy in China and Hybridités France-Chine for their assistance.

About Wajdi Mouawad

Born in Lebanon in 1968, Wajdi Mouawad fled the country during the civil war and went to France with his family before settling in Quebec until the 2000s. He adapts and stages contemporary plays, classics and his own texts. His novels are entitled Visage retrouvé in 2002 and Anima.

While directing the Quat'Sous Theatre in Montreal from 2000 to 2004, he created the play Scorched (Incendies), later adapted into a film by Denis Villeneuve in 2010.

He has been Director of Théâtre de La Colline since 2016. Among the plays he has directed are Littoral, seen at the Festival d'Avignon, Tous des oiseaux, Notre innocence, Fauves, Mort prématurée d'un chanteur populaire dans la force de l'âge, and his trilogy, 'Domestique' Mère / Seuls / Sœurs, Racine carrée du verbe être, and most recently, Journée de noces chez les Cromagnons.

About La Colline-théâtre national

The National Theatre of La Colline is one of the five state theatres dedicated to drama in France.

Since its establishment in 1988, its status as a national theatre mandates its mission to promote contemporary works. Thus, La Colline has shaped its identity around the presentation of plays from the contemporary theatre repertoire.

It has been managed since 2016 by Wajdi Mouawad, whose artistic project centers on four guidelines: writing and creation, diversity, youth, and territory. Each year, La Colline presents between 12 and 18 plays in its two venues, mainly its own productions and coproductions with international outreach, hosting plays in various foreign languages. 

Beyond creation and distribution of works by living authors, La Colline pursues a public service mission aimed at opening up to a greater number of people and encouraging the discovery of contemporary writings foraudiences in all their diversity.