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An actor speaks standing while two seated actresses look at him

Rendezvous with the French stage

The Institut Francès, the Reial Cercle Artístic and the Teatre Casino l'Aliança del Poblenou are hosting premieres in our country of contemporary plays born in France.

Anyone who wants to practise their French a little and discover new dramatic creations that have not yet been premiered in Spain has an essential date with the newest scene in the country, thanks to Festival Oui. From 23 January to 5 February, performances are scheduled at Institut Francès, but also at the Reial Cercle Artístic and Teatre Casino l'Aliança in Poblenou.

Performances, readings and even some competitions are part of the programme of this festival dedicated to bringing the latest French theatre scene to our stages. It is held mainly in Barcelona, although there are also performances in Castelldefels and Hospitalet de Llobregat. 

The first dates of the festival, however, are at stage of Institut Francès, where on Saturday, 25 January, we will be able to see Le gran jour (pictured. Photo: Antoine Agoudjian), with Spanish subtitles like all the plays performed here. It is a creation by Frédérique Voruz for spectators from the age of eleven, directed by the author himself, in which eight actors and actresses confront us, in a fraternal exercise, with the death of a mother. Could the loss of this figure turn us into adults in an automatic way? This is what you will think during the performance of this production by Compagnie Aléthéia.

On 28th January, the same stage will host a second performance entitled Être ou ne pas nâitre, in which two protagonists, Nadine and Lisa are in the waiting room of life, but they cannot enter it. Why? Because one of them is a dwarf and the other a bit overweight. And in this world in which everyone decides the sex of their children and the colour of their hair, no one  wants to have a child or a daughter who is aesthetically unattractive...

The last proposal of the Festival Oui at the Institut Francès, on 30 January, invokes a scene from Madame de Lafayette's 17th century novel La princesse de Clèves (specifically the moment of confession or, in French, l‘’aveue"), in a text by the author Louise Doutreligne. In L'aveu de la Princesse de Clèves, she imagines a dialogue between Lafayette and his friend Monsieur de La Rochefoucauld in which various questions are raised in exquisite French which, even if you do not know the language, you will enjoy to the extreme. Jean-Luc Paliès directs the production, performed by Jean-François Prévand, Claudine Fiévet, Jean-Luc Paliès and Bruno Béraud.

You have other proposals on Sunday, 2 February, at Reial Cercle Artístic, where they set up to stage RIMBAUD, Cavalcades! (with subtitles in Catalan), a joint creation by Romain Puyuelo and Nicolas Vallée, performed by the former and directed by the latter. Puyuelo plays all the roles in a montage in which a character explains how Rimbaud saved his life.

Finally, on Sunday, 5 February, you will see the last Barcelona date of Festival Oui at Teatre del Casino l'Aliança del Poblenou, where Alexis Michalik writes the text and directs Passeport. It is performed by Christopher Bayemi, Patrick Blandin, Jean-Louis Garçon, Kevin Razy, Fayçal Safi, Manda Touré and Ysmahane Yaqini, who are responsible for staging the story of refugee migrants (an Eritrean, a Tamil and a Syrian) who live in the Calais camp.

Remember, however, that in addition to the theatrical performances, Festival Oui also organises reading competitions, after-performance encounters and other activities that will introduce you to the most up-to-date French scene.

If you want to practise your French (or enjoy some shows with subtitles in Catalan or Spanish, depending on the case), don't miss Festival Oui, but first check the website for all the information about the event.

Publication date: Tuesday, 21 January 2025
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