Few literary works have succeeded in transforming a deeply personal experience into a political and social event with the force achieved by Annie Ernaux in Happening. The book that shook France and inspired Audrey Diwan’s Golden Lion-winning film adaptation now arrives on stage through the spare yet powerful theatrical vision of Françoise Gillard, leading actress and sociétaire of the Comédie Française.

In 1963, in a France where abortion was a criminal offence, a young university student discovers that she is pregnant. What follows are three months of anguish, fear, humiliation and despair, as she is forced to resort to illegal methods that ultimately put her life at risk. At the same time, her determination to claim authority over her own life and body collides with the law, social prejudices and the violence of a deeply patriarchal society.

With the precision and disarming honesty that established her as one of the most important writers of our time, Annie Ernaux returns to that traumatic experience decades later, breaking a silence that continues to weigh upon millions of women around the world.

Françoise Gillard, one of the leading figures of contemporary French theatre, with the equally distinguished actor, director and Comédie Française sociétaire Denis Podalydès as artistic collaborator, approaches her solo performance as an act of public testimony. With genuine emotion yet without a trace of melodrama, she reveals the extraordinary theatricality of Ernaux’s writing and transforms one woman’s confession into a shared experience.

At a time when reproductive rights and bodily autonomy are once again at the centre of public debate and political confrontation around the world, Happening acquires a renewed and urgent relevance. The performance raises a question that remains painfully current: how free is a woman to decide what happens to her own body?

“I want to immerse myself once again in that period of my life, to discover what was there.”

CREATIVE TEAM

Author: Annie Ernaux (Gallimard)
Conceived and performed by: Françoise Gillard
Artistic Collaborator: Denis Podalydès
Lighting Design: Stéphanie Daniel
Costume Design: Bernadette Villard
Assistant Director: Amélie Wendling
Production: Comédie-Française
Translation to Greek: Argyro Sifaki
Translation to English: Despina Pyrketti

Running time: 65 minutes, no interval

NICOSIA INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL

FESTIVAL IDENTITY

CO-ORGANISERS: Nicosia For Art Ltd, Nicosia Municipality
MAIN SPONSOR: Deputy Ministry of Culture, Department of Contemporary Culture
GOLD SPONSORS: VF Foundation, Allwyn
SILVER SPONSOR: PwC
OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR: Phileleftheros Media Group
SUPPORTERS: L’Oréal Paris, French Institute of Cyprus, The Classic Hotel, Ethimo
PARTNER: Press and Information Office
HOSPITALITY SPONSORS: Centrum Hotel, Altius Boutique Hotel
OFFICIAL FESTIVAL CAR: Pilakoutas Group
EXCLUSIVE TICKETING PARTNER: more.com

Ticket Prices

Zone A: €30
Zone B: €25 / €20 reduced ticket*
Zone C: €20 / €15 reduced ticket*
Zone D: €15

*Reduced tickets: Senior Citizens 65+, Students, Unemployed Persons, People with Disabilities PwD assistant.

Persons with Disabilities PwD enter free of charge with the relevant ID, whilst their assistant one person enters with a reduced ticket.

For group bookings and tickets for persons with disabilities PwD, please contact the theatre box office directly.