Valentina

News that could perhaps upset her mother's existence, make her afraid, and damage her life forever. Should she tell her mother the truth in her mother tongue? The truth that can be hoped for, feared, fought against and suppressed is at the heart of Caroline Guiela Nguyen's latest play, which she is developing at the Théâtre national de Strasbourg and which we are showing as a preview, during rehearsals, a few weeks before the premiere in France, at the festival.


The starting point was Nguyen's interest in the perspective of children and the truth. Why do we tell children lies? Do people do it to protect them? To make them go to sleep? Or should they hear beautiful stories that they can later tell their children? During the writing process, Ngyuen researched the Romanian community in Strasbourg, in kindergartens and primary schools and held discussions with teachers, educators, parents and children - and with interpreters.


Her play, written like a fairy tale, is less about providing answers to these questions than about exploring where the boundaries can lie between childish naivety and adult assumption of responsibility, reality and fiction, translation and interpretation.


The latest production by Caroline Guiela Nguyen will be shown in an exclusive preview before its premiere in Strasbourg at the end of April.


In a workshop discussion, the director gives insights into her theater work.


100 minutes

(IN GERMAN)