In a highly original way, Émilie Rousset and Maya Boquet bring to the stage testimonies and archives dating back to a crucial event in the advancement of women’s rights. By journeying amongst the fifteen performers, each audience member builds up his or her own train of thought on the subject and its ramifications in today’s world, but also on the process of representation itself.


In Reconstitution : Le procès de Bobigny, Émilie Rousset and Maya Boquet focus on a historical event : the trial, held on the 8th November 1972, of Marie-Claire Chevalier and her mother, in response to the young girl’s abortion after being raped. This trial, a critical moment in the advancement of women’s rights, was led by the renowned lawyer Gisèle Halimi. It crystallised the feminist reflections and combats of the time, and was nourished by contributions from Simone de Beauvoir, Nobel prize-winning doctors, the actress Delphine Seyrig and the politician Michel Rocard.

Using the transcription of the trial as their starting point, and adding to it with testimonials of a contemporary nature, Émilie Rousset and Maya Boquet pose questions about the resonances in today’s world of the themes evoked and also the status of the archive itself.

The highly original staging used in Reconstruction has the effect of  deconstructing the theatrical aspect of the trial. Navigating between the fifteen performers and the testimonies addressed directly to the audience, each of us is invited to choose and follow his or her own train of thought and comprehension. In the interstices between the testimonies, a space is given over to reflection and exchange. By giving audience members the opportunity of putting into perspective the different events, the pieces probes into the very notion of reconstitution and the gap or disparity that exists between an event, the documents produced and their representation.

Duration 2h30 // The audience is invited to move at their own pace from listening station to listening station. Each listening session lasts approximately fifteen minutes.

Designed, written and staged Émilie Rousset and Maya Boquet
Directed and staged design Émilie Rousset
Video  Louise Hémont
Lighting Laïs Foulc
Sound  Romain Vuillet
Dramaturgy Maya Boquet 
With (alternating since the premiere):  Véronique Alain, Renaud Bertin, Hélène Bressiant, Antonia Buresi, Rodolphe Congé, Suzanne Dubois, Stéphanie Farison, Thomas Gonzalez, Nanyadji Ka-gara, Emmanuelle Lafon, Anne Lenglet, Olivier Normand, Aurélia Petit, Gianfranco Poddighe, Lamya Régragui, Ghita Serraj, Anne Steffens, Nanténé Traoré, Kevin Tussidor, Manuel Vallade, Margot Viala, Jean-Luc Vincent.
Video editing Carole Borne
Sound and video Romain Vuillet and Cristian Sotomayor
General manager and light Jérémie Sananes
Production, administration, L’oeil écoute - Mara Teboul & Marie-Pierre Mourgues

Produced by John Corporation (Paris)
Coproduced by Groupe des 20 Théâtres en Île-de-France ; T2G – Théâtre de Gennevilliers ; and Festival d’Automne à Paris

With subsidies of the Région Île-de-France and of the Ministry of Culture. 
With the participation of DICRéAM.
With the support of the Insertion Fund for Young Actors from ESAD – PSBB and the support of Spedidam.

Premiere on October the 10th of 2019 at the T2G –  Théâtre Gennevilliers with the Festival d’Automne à Paris

Photographies
@Philippe Lebruman