Welfare

“I like to watch people, I like to think about everything I see:” These words by film-maker Frederick Wiseman’s are at the heart of this adaptation of Welfare (1973) by Julie Deliquet. A unique day in the life of the homeless, stateless, workers, single mothers and other destitute people who file into the makeshift welfare centre set up in the Cour d’honneur. For the duration of the performance, the Palais des papes becomes a place of hospitality struggling to take on a human face. This is the territory inhabited by the characters of this adaptation by the current director of the Centre dramatique national de Saint-Denis, whose theatre ceaselessly tries to capture life within the human comedy. Fifteen everyday heroes whose stories intertwine to show in stark relief the dysfunctions of our society. Characters who invite us to follow them and to step through the fourth wall the way one must see through a fantasy to find reality again.

Interview with Julie Deliquet

With Julie André, Astrid Bayiha, Éric Charon, Salif Cisse, Aleksandra de Cizancourt, Évelyne Didi, Olivier Faliez, Vincent Garanger, Zakariya Gouram, Nama Keita, Mexianu Medenou, Marie Payen, Agnès Ramy, David Seigneur
and Thibault Perriard (musician)
Based on the film by Frederick Wiseman
Translation Marie-Pierre Duhamel Muller
Stage direction Julie Deliquet
Stage adaptation Julie André, Julie Deliquet, Florence Seyvos
Artistic collaboration Anne Barbot, Pascale Fournier
Set design Julie Deliquet, Zoé Pautet
Lighting Vyara Stefanova
Music Thibault Perriard
Costumes Julie Scobeltzine Puppetry Carole Allemand
Puppet Carole Allemand
Costume assistant Marion Duvinage
Dressing Nelly Geyres
Sets François Sallé, Bertrand Sombsthay, Wilfrid Dulouart, Frédéric Gillmann, Anouk Savoy Workshop of the Théâtre Gérard Philipe of Saint-Denis
Stage manager Pascal Gallepe
Lighting manager Bertrand Sombsthay
Sound manager Pierre De Cintaz

Production Théâtre Gérard Philipe CDN de Saint-Denis
Coproduction Festival d'Avignon, Comédie CDN de Reims, Théâtre Dijon Bourgogne CDN, Comédie de Genève, La Coursive Scène nationale de La Rochelle, Le Quartz Scène nationale de Brest, Théâtre de l'Union CDN du Limousin, L'Archipel Scène nationale de Perpignan, La Passerelle Scène nationale de Saint-Brieuc, le CDN Orléans Centre-Val de Loire Les Célestins Théâtre de Lyon, le cercle des partenariats du TGP
With the support of Groupe TSF, Vinci Autoroutes, The Pershing Square Foundation, The Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater, Alios Développement, FACE Contemporary Theater, a programme of Villa Albertine and FACE Foundation in partnership with the French Embassy in the United States, King's Fountain, Région Île-de-France, Conseil départemental de la Seine-Saint-Denis and for the 77th edition of the Festival d'Avignon: Fondation Ammodo and Spedidam
Residence La FabricA du Festival d'Avignon
Captation in partnership with France Télévisions
Frederick Wiseman's films are produced by Zipporah Films