Stadium

It was by way of his father’s passion for football that Mohamed El Khatib landed among the supporters of RC Lens. Those in the know say that the ”Blood-and-Golds” are the best spectators in France. Immersing himself in their lives and the Bollaert Stadium, the author has chosen around fifty real Lens supporters to embody his show. They include Yvette, a true legend of the club, and Ludovic, whose job is to motivate those unruliest of fans, ”the ultras”.

In an aesthetic borrowing from the technique of ”reenactment” – living reconstruction of an event – Mohamed El Khatib presents an authentic slice of reality, bringing up on stage the fifty supporters in the colours of their team, placing them on a platform and there recreating the atmosphere and codes of the Bollaert stadium. It’s all there: pom-pom girls, banners, smoke bombs, and of course the chip shop! And then there is Kevin, who guides us through the individual testimonies. ”When your name is Kevin at the Bollaert stadium, you’re like a fish in water. Whereas, Kevin in a theatre… you’re a bit like a Syrian refugee in the sub-prefecture of Calais”. Because that’s what Stadium is all about, creating an encounter, sparking a dialogue between two audiences – of the theatre and of the stands – who rarely mix.

Made up of fragments of reality, Stadium orchestrates an unexpected encounter and engages in a class exploration which demolishes clichés to honour the fervor of the fans. Like a kaleidoscope of the condition of supporters today and the coexistence of several worlds.

Mohamed El Khatib is an associate artist at the Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles.