Oui!, the French theater festival in Barcelona, ??returns with a program of eight unpublished works. In its seventh edition, six of the eight pieces are written by women, and will have subtitles in Catalan and Spanish.
The festival, which has established itself as one of the great events of theater in French in a non-French-speaking country, will expand its borders to other locations with the help of the City Council of l’Hospitalet de Llobregat and Badalona. It will also have parallel activities, such as dramatized readings, conversations and Km0, a space that encourages production in French by talents residing in Barcelona.
The Oui! will begin on January 26, on the stage of the French Institute of Barcelona. There, Ceux qui se sont évaporés, a play written by Canadian Rébecca Desraspe about voluntary disappearances, will premiere in Europe, with which she received the Montreal Theater Critics Award in 2020.
On January 27 and 28, actor Jean-François Duval will be part of Le chavalier d’Éon, a play written by Luc Tallieu as part of the Km0 section. At the Reial Cercle Artístic in Barcelona, ??Duval will play the knight of Éon, a colorful character with a life full of adventures after having been a spy for Louis XV. Now he must live as a transvestite, the product of a real threat.
Focused on families, on January 28 and February 3, Les quatre loups, by Mathilde Berthenod, will be presented at Salatrac and the Institut Francès de Barcelona. The work, inspired by the story of the same name by Alain Gaussel, shows the adventures of a boy who enters the forest, where he experiences funny and unexpected situations when encountering some wolves.
On the same stage you can see La cabane de l’architecte ou la main tendue by Le Corbusier, on January 30. The work written by Louise Doutreligne tells the story of a 12-year-old boy who discovers his love for architecture and pays tribute in a more human way to the work of architect Le Corbusier. “It tells the life of a boy who is going to grow up and is lucky enough to meet Le Corbusier, which changes his destiny,” explains Mathilde Mottier, one of the creators of the festival.
One of the names that stands out in this edition is Alexandra Badea. The Frenchwoman, who has performed four times at this festival, will present Celle qui regarde le monde, a work that has won the 2023 Teatre prize from the French Theater Academy, making her an old acquaintance of the festival led by Mathilde Mottier and François Vila arrives at a great time.
The production, which will be presented on February 1 at the French Institute of Barcelona, ??tells the story of two teenagers who establish a bond that will change their lives, where they discuss their fears and dreams, transforming the life of the protagonist.
Another name that stands out is that of the Syrian actor and writer Fida Mohhissen, who presents Shahada, Il y a toujours un ailleurs possible in Dau al Sec, on February 3. The play, which puts Mohisen on stage alongside actor Rami Rkab, carries out an archaeological immersion of the memories of a man’s life in dialogue with the young version of him, who he has opted for love.
Another acquaintance of the festival who returns is Joanna Boyé. The Frenchwoman appeared as an actress in the first edition and now she returns as an established director with Je ne cours pas, je vole!, a text by Élodie Menant that received five nominations at the Molière awards. The piece is about the limits in sport, through the story of an athlete who, after 12 years of training, must make history in the Olympic Games. The work, which earned Boyé a Molière nomination for best director, can be seen on February 4, at the Teatre Plaza in Castelldefels.
The closing of the festival will be on February 11, at the Barradas Auditorium in l’Hospitalet de Llobregat. Petite Zoé, the piece written, directed and performed by Julie Timmerman, is about life with a bipolar father who seeks to transmit the beauty of theater to him, while he puts on Les Miserábles in the primary class.
