A stage play inspired by the trial of the men who drugged and assaulted Gisèle Pelicot is set to be performed in Avignon, France, reflecting the ongoing societal discussions following the nation’s most significant rape trial.
The three-hour production, titled “The Pelicot Trial: Tribute to Gisèle Pelicot,” has been crafted by the renowned Swiss director and playwright Milo Rau, known for his compelling theater interpretations of legal proceedings, such as the Moscow trial of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot and the trial of the former Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu.
Pelicot’s attorneys and various feminist organizations have given their support to the play. Rau expressed a deep moral obligation to bring the trial to life on stage, stating that inaction would have been akin to remaining silent on issues such as the conflicts in Gaza or Ukraine—a silence he views as complicity.
The play is embedded in the context of debates over rape culture, the dismissal of rape allegations, and the patriarchal structures within society. “Through the Pelicot trial, it is us and our society that are on trial,” Rau suggests.
Gisèle Pelicot became a symbol of resilience after her decision to forgo anonymity to ensure a public trial of her ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, and the other 50 accused men who sexually assaulted her over nearly a decade starting in 2011. Her ex-husband was sentenced to 20 years in prison, and all accused parties were found guilty.
Pelicot’s determination to expose the lay bare societal machismo and rape trivialization earned her France’s highest civilian honor, the Legion d’Honneur. Her case has ignited conversations about the male-dominated culture that trivializes sexual violence.
Rau and co-writer Servane Dècle have crafted a performance that combines staged readings of court transcripts, police records, public commentary, and psychological evaluations to explore the convicted perpetrators’ backgrounds and the societal norms that led to such heinous acts.
This performance underscores “the omnipresence of rape in our society,” according to Rau, and the initial seven-hour production in Vienna has now been condensed for Avignon and will also tour to cities like Lisbon, Belgrade, and Warsaw.
Dècle emphasizes that the play is not just a retelling, but a call to explore the underlying causes behind such actions, poking at the threads of societal norms that permitted these men to converge on Pelicot with such reprehensible intent, all while leading seemingly “ordinary” lives. The play will be presented at the 14th-century open-air Carmelite cloister in Avignon as part of the city’s literary festival, with live streaming in local cinemas and online to accommodate the widespread interest.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/18/its-ourselves-and-society-on-trial-playwright-adapts-gisele-pelicot-case-for-stage
