L'Equarrissage pour Tous - Théâtre de l'Épée de Bois

Presented by Le Théâtre de l'épée de bois

Arromanches, 6 June 1944: as the Allies gain a foothold on European soil, a family father and knacker is preoccupied with marrying his daughter off to the German soldier with whom she has been sleeping for four years… This summary gives only a faint idea of the riotous, burlesque energy of this "anarchist vaudeville". A farce on a grave subject that caused a scandal at its premiere in 1950. A reckless wager in a society being rebuilt, bruised and traumatised by the violence of war.

In 2026, it is important to do justice to this play and to question the place of war in our societies and its consequences. The Second World War, the central subject of the play, resonates strongly with our current geopolitical concerns: Brexit, which marked the end of a united Europe; the war in Ukraine; the end of the Pax Americana; the rise of fascism across the world, and so on. Reviving this period and its conflict through the eyes of a contemporary audience allows a detached and pragmatic re-reading, to be set alongside our own future.

In a climate of widespread wars, many people fear a third world war.

Text: Boris Vian

Director: Faustine Abit

Assistant director: Samuel Caram

Cast: Gaël Manierre, Joséphine Vekemans, Manon Habets, Théo Coco, Roxane Lopez, Paul Hayat, Mariia Romanova, Noah Nicogossian, Jean-baptiste Charles

Musical composition: Diego Alorda, Lucie Luchier

Visual artist: Théo Ghiglia

Stage management: Nicolas Ginon