Please, continue (Hamlet) • Yan Duyvendak, Roger Bernat • Théâtre National

On the stage transformed into a courtroom, a trial takes place, the trial oif a young man who during a wedding kills his girlfriend’s father. The protagonists, the only actors on stage, present themselves, Hamlet for the accused, Gertrude for his mother and Ophelia for his ex girlfriend. The lawyers, the presiding judge, the bailiff are actual people of the law in the town in which the play is being performed. After the arguments are presented, twelve members of the audience are chosen to be the jury and they will deliberate and decide on the guilt or innocence of the accused.

Immersed in the dramaturgy of the crime and the authenticity of the proceedings, the audience finds themselves witnessing firsthand the complex workings of justice. Directly involved in the debates, they are asked to “examine the charges” and to remember that “the accused is presumed innocent and that he is owed the benefit of the doubt.”

Based on the records of a real case as well as on the murder of Polonius in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the performance owes as much to the concept of a mock trial as well as a speech contest. The universality of the situation reveals parallels between theatrical codes and those of a trial but blurs the line between fiction and reality. With this troubling experience, Yan Duyvendak and Roger Bernay question the pertinence of juries in trials and leads everyone to question their own ideas of justice, especially on the subjectivity of their decisions.

Cast

Concept
Yan Duyvendak
Roger Bernat

With
Claire Delaporte
Adrien Serre
Margot Viala

Et avec (le 04.05.2022)
Présidente
Marie Messiaen
Avocate générale
Justine Seleck
Avocate de la défense
Mélodie Emdadi
Avocate de la partie civile
Thérèse De Man
Huissier
Roland De Vriendt
Expert psychiatre
Pierre Oswald

Et avec (le 05.05.2022)
Président
Jean-François Funck
Avocate générale
Anne Karcher
Avocat de la défense
Yannick De Vlaemynck
Avocate de la partie civile
Catherine Toussaint
Huissier
Roland De Vriendt
Experte psychiatre
Caroline Depuydt

Et avec (le 06.05.2022)
Présidente
Isabelle de Saedeleer
Avocate générale
Catherine Ramaeckers
Avocat de la défense
Laurent Kennes
Avocat de la partie civile
Christophe Marchand
Huissière
Joëlle Van Ex
Expert psychiatre
Vincent Dubois

Staging in partnership with
Sylvie Kleiber

Administrative management
Marine Magnin

International Development
Judith Martin - Ligne Directe

Creative production and communication
Charlotte Terrapon

Stage Manager
Stéphane Leclercq
Luca Kasper

Stage Manager (TN)
Ralf Nonn

Sound Manager (TN)
Marion De Gussem

Production
Dreams Come True, Genève

Coproduction
Le Phénix Scène nationale Valenciennes ; Huis a/d Werf, Utrecht ; Théâtre du Grütli, Genève

Hospitality and residence
Montévidéo, Marseille ; Le Carré/Les Colonnes, Scène conventionnée, Saint-Médard-en-Jalles/ Blanquefort

With support from
Ville de Genève, République et canton de Genève, Pro Helvetia Fondation suisse pour la culture, Migros pour-cent culturel, Loterie Romande, Ministerio de Cultura-INAEM, Mécènes du sud, Marseille, Le Nouveau théâtre de Montreuil centre dramatique national, CORODIS

Calendar

Information

Cast