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Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles
Week-end ouvert

Stadium

Mohamed El Khatib

16 & 17.09.2022
Theatre

It was by way of his father’s passion for football that Mohamed El Khatib landed among the supporters of RC Lens. Those in the know say that the ”Blood-and-Golds” are the best spectators in France. Immersing himself in their lives and the Bollaert Stadium, the author has chosen around fifty real Lens supporters to embody his show. They include Yvette, a true legend of the club, and Ludovic, whose job is to motivate those unruliest of fans, ”the ultras”.

In an aesthetic borrowing from the technique of ”reenactment” – living reconstruction of an event – Mohamed El Khatib presents an authentic slice of reality, bringing up on stage the fifty supporters in the colours of their team, placing them on a platform and there recreating the atmosphere and codes of the Bollaert stadium. It’s all there: pom-pom girls, banners, smoke bombs, and of course the chip shop! And then there is Kevin, who guides us through the individual testimonies. ”When your name is Kevin at the Bollaert stadium, you’re like a fish in water. Whereas, Kevin in a theatre… you’re a bit like a Syrian refugee in the sub-prefecture of Calais”. Because that’s what Stadium is all about, creating an encounter, sparking a dialogue between two audiences – of the theatre and of the stands – who rarely mix.

Made up of fragments of reality, Stadium orchestrates an unexpected encounter and engages in a class exploration which demolishes clichés to honour the fervor of the fans. Like a kaleidoscope of the condition of supporters today and the coexistence of several worlds.

Mohamed El Khatib is an associate artist at the Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles.

Calendar

  • - 20:15
  • - 16:00

Information

Language

fr, surtitling nl

Duration

120'

Venue

Grande salle

Cast

Direction
Mohamed El Khatib
Fred Hocké

With
53 supporteur·ices du Racing Club de Lens

Writing
Mohamed El Khatib

Artistic collaboration
Eric Domeneghetty
Violaine de Cazenove

Set design, light design and video
Fred Hocké

Sound design
Arnaud Léger

Operator
Violaine de Cazenove
Clémence Drack
Jonathan Douchet
Fred Hocké
Arnaud Léger

Production
Martine Bellanza

Management
Alice Le Diouron

Press
Nathalie Gasser

Editorial advice
William Nuytens

Production
Zirlib (Zirlib est conventionnée par le ministère de la Culture et de la Communication - Drac Centre-Val de Loire, par la Région Centre-Val de Loire et soutenue par la Ville d’Orléans)

Co-production
Théâtre Olympia, Centre dramatique national de Tours - Tandem Douai-Arras, Scène nationale, Festival d’Automne à Paris - Théâtre de la Ville, Paris - La Colline - Théâtre National, Châteauvallon, Scène nationale - Le Grand T, Théâtre de Loire Atlantique - Théâtre National de Bretagne - Théâtre du Beauvaisis - Scènes du Golfe - Vannes, La Scène - Musée du Louvre - Lens

With the support from
La Fondation d’entreprise Hermès dans le cadre du programme New

Setting et du Fonds SACD Théâtre Résidences Le Quai - CDN Angers Pays de la Loire, la Ville de Grenay

Mohamed El Khatib est artiste associé au Théâtre de la Ville à Paris, au Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles, au Théâtre National de Bretagne, et à Malraux, Scène nationale de Chambéry et de la Savoie.

© Gloria Scorier