A high-profile cast featuring Rosie O’Donnell, Adjoa Andoh, Tamzin Outhwaite, and Julie Hesmondhalgh is set to lead a unique stage production at London’s County Hall. The performance, titled The Pelicot Trial, is a four-hour “documentary theatre” event scheduled for 30 November.
The production will feature 30 actors and notable figures, with additional performers including Juliet Stevenson, Samuel West, Olivia Williams, Kadiff Kirwan, Rosie Jones, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Lorraine Ashbourne, and Jordan Stephens. Organizers stated that further casting announcements are expected in the coming weeks. Other cast members include Truly, Madly, Deeply star Juliet Stevenson, All Creatures Great and Small actor Samuel West, Sixth Sense’s Oliva Wiliams and Slow Horses’ Kadiff Kirwan. Comedian Rosie Jones, Dune actress Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Bridgerton’s Lorraine Ashbourne and Rizzle Kicks rapper Jordan Stephens will also take part.
This performance is based on the real-world case of Dominique Pelicot, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for drugging and assaulting his then-wife, Gisele Pelicot, while facilitating similar crimes by 50 other men. The trial drew global attention, and Gisele Pelicot, now 73, gained widespread recognition for waiving her right to anonymity and asserting that the shame of the crimes belongs solely to the perpetrators. According to gisele Pelicot, 73, waived her right to anonymity as a survivor of sexual abuse, and, Shame should fall on her abusers, not her.
According to the Young Vic, the production is a profoundly moving work composed of authentic trial testimonies and written accounts. It aims to honor Gisele Pelicot as a symbol of strength who “opened the way to change.” The play, developed alongside French journalists and feminist organizations, explores the legal proceedings and the psychiatric evaluations of the many men involved in the case.
The play originally premiered in Vienna last year and has since been staged in cities such as New York, Avignon, Lisbon, Milan, and Bergen. In addition to the live presentation at County Hall, the event will be available to audiences via an online stream.
Tickets for the upcoming London performance are scheduled to be released for general sale this Wednesday. This piece of documentary theatre reflects the broader public outcry and the societal shifts that followed the disclosure of the case, which remains a significant landmark in the fight against violence.
