Faut-il séparer l’homme de l’artiste ?

Can we still admire a work when its author has been accused, implicated or convicted of sexual violence? What should we do with the films of Roman Polanski, the songs of Bertrand Cantat, the writings of Céline or the works of so many other artists whose actions now challenge the way we see them?

With Should We Separate the Man from the Artist?, director Étienne Gaudillère and journalist Giulia Foïs take on one of the most pressing questions of our time. Born in the wake of the upheavals triggered by , this hybrid show blends journalistic investigation, documentary theatre, personal accounts, humour and collective reflection. Drawing on facts, figures, high-profile cases and intimate questions, the artists explore the contradictions that run through our societies. Should we separate a work from its creator? Can artistic genius lessen the seriousness of the acts committed? How should we look today at a cultural heritage that was, at times, built in the shadow of violence long kept silent? So many questions that demand we abandon ready-made answers in order to accept the complexity of reality.

On stage, Giulia Foïs does not merely bring her expertise as a journalist and committed author: she takes part in the debate, confronts facts with testimonies and speaks in her own voice. Alongside Étienne Gaudillère, she makes the stage a space where journalistic investigation meets theatre to shed light on one of the most sensitive questions of our time.

At the Théâtre de la Concorde, in a month dedicated to courage, the show resonates with an essential question: how much courage does it take to look at the works we love in a different way, to hear words long stifled and to accept shifting our certainties? Somewhere between public debate and intimate experience, Should We Separate the Man from the Artist? reminds us that courage does not always mean being right, but sometimes means being willing to question what we thought was settled.

Cast

Conception: Étienne Gaudillère and Giulia Foïs

Direction: Étienne Gaudillère

With Giulia Foïs, Étienne Gaudillère, Astrid Roos, Jean-Philippe Salério

Stage management: Romain de Lagarde

Lighting, video and sound: Romain de Lagarde, Sandrine Sitter, Simon Frézel

Collaboration