You are adapting Thésée, sa vie nouvelle for the stage. What drew you to this work by Camille de Toledo, which presents itself as a genealogical investigation?
Guy Cassiers This novel invites the audience on a great journey. In it, Camille de Toledo recounts several pivotal moments experienced by his family, and not only them. The novel spans the entire twentieth century, from the two World Wars to the Trente Glorieuses. A question runs throughout the book, and now throughout the stage adaptation: what traces of the past should we preserve in order to build the future? For Camille de Toledo, this question arose in a concrete, physical way. Following his brother’s suicide and the death of his parents, the author found himself paralysed. Through the act of writing, he goes back in time in search of what is holding his body back. He allows himself to recount the lives of several members of his family. He gives them a voice and thus creates a polyphonic narrative that speaks of a family, but also of a shared history in Europe.
How would you define this narrative, which is neither an autobiography, nor autofiction, nor strictly a testimony?
Valérie Dréville Everything Camille de Toledo recounts in this book is true. To convey that truth, he chose to use legend. He calls himself Theseus, gives his mother the name Esther, and uses legendary names for other figures. He needs to create distance and widen the lens in order to tell their stories. The title refers to the myth of Theseus. Theseus is the one who repays an ancient war debt, settled each year through the sacrifice of young people devoured by the Minotaur. Through this image, the author evokes the tragedies of the twentieth century, the invisible burdens that History places on subsequent generations. And then there is “sa vie nouvelle,” his new life. After the death of his loved ones, he tries to begin again elsewhere. He moves to Berlin. For thirteen years, he attempts to rebuild himself, without success. He is overtaken by his past. And the past is not past: it is present in his very body. Physically, he can no longer go on. In his flight to Germany, he brought with him three boxes filled with photographs, manuscripts, letters, and memories of his childhood and his family. He had sworn not to open them, but he gives in, and the entire past pours out. He begins a new journey so that he might once again imagine a future.
What questions does this play raise?
Valérie Dréville There is one essential question running through this novel: “Who commits the murder of a man who kills himself?” Is suicide a free choice or a violent response to society? Through this question, the author seeks neither a culprit nor a condemnation in the face of his brother’s suicide. He explores the deeper causes, perhaps buried in earlier generations. He also brings to light a truth: individuals are never separate from their origins. Their existence does not begin with themselves. Each person inherits the wounds of those who came before. Through his journey, the narrator attempts an act of reconnection. He reweaves a web that links his family and the world in a certain way.
Guy Cassiers In response to this question, Camille de Toledo argues that a purely psychological explanation is not sufficient. Explaining the tragedy through individual causes would be reductive. That is why he chooses to delve into the past, to turn to previous generations, in order to understand what we carry within us without ever being able to name it. He seeks to grasp this invisible inheritance that resides in the heart, an inheritance that is as much familial as it is historical and social.
How did you go about adapting this novel?
Valérie Dréville We worked together closely on this adaptation. Over the course of many meetings, we explored several proposals and discussed what should be kept or not. We began with the dramaturgy of the text, then moved on to that of the images, the scenography, with sound at the centre of everything, and light. One day, Camille de Toledo joined us at the Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne. He gave us access to his archive collection. This meeting played an important role.
Guy Cassiers Camille showed great generosity in entrusting us with his work. He offered us his novel as a tangible material, something we could immerse ourselves in and work with freely. We are quite literally entering his world, his way of thinking.
What drew you to this work?
Valérie Dréville From the very first reading, I was struck by the language. Different kinds of speech intertwine: narration, dialogue, poetry. This interweaving of forms and voices is ideal for the stage. It is absolutely fascinating for performance. And as for the language itself, I find it truly very beautiful. It is strong, it is poetic. Added to this are the images. Those in the novel naturally find their place on stage. Throughout his narrative, Camille de Toledo shares photographs that he calls pieces of evidence, like exhibits in an investigation. Proof that the events did indeed take place. These images are not meant to be looked at in a literal way. They are used to decode the facts. Some seem to say one thing, while revealing another, sometimes even the opposite of what they appear to show.
What shape does this polyphony of voices take on stage?
Guy Cassiers We devised a form that stays as close as possible to the novel, integrating physically and mentally everything it offers, both text and images. Valérie Dréville embodies neither solely the narrator nor solely Theseus: she carries all the voices. She moves among the photographs in the book, as one walks through memory, following traces in an attempt to uncover their meaning. Cameras follow her, creating two forms of physical presence: one on stage, and another projected onto screens. This device allows several characters to coexist simultaneously. They all appear in distinct spaces, making it possible for the audience to identify them. The whole forms a mosaic, with the narrative as its guiding thread. The spectators enter this universe like a labyrinth, in the manner of Theseus, and encounter voices that interact with one another as much as with them. It is never about illustrating a situation, but rather about exploring a thought, a language, in order to better understand a character. This novel deeply awakened my senses, as it is permeated with powerful images. Through this installation, we invite the audience not to be mere observers of a family story. We invite them to enter this living material, to trace their own path through this narrative that is both intimate and universal.
Interview conducted by Vanessa Asse in February 2026