An Enemy of the People

By

Henrik Ibsen

Direction

Jean-François Sivadier

Performed by

Sharif Andoura, Cyril Bothorel, Nicolas Bouchaud, Cyprien Colombo, Vincent Guédon, Éric Guérin, Jeanne Lepers, Nadia Vonderheyden et Valérie de Champchesnel, Julien Le Moal, Christian Tirole

Public health versus economic prosperity, truth versus manipulation, freedom of thought versus tyranny of the masses; Jean-François Sivadier directs An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen.

The Stockmann brothers are like two sides of the same coin, as different as day and night. Tomas, an enthusiastic and prodigious family man, is a doctor, whilst his elder brother Peter, a frugal and hypochondriac bachelor, is the mayor of the small town in which they both live. Together, they founded the spa baths that have led to the renown and wealth of the town, until the day the younger brother discovers that the spa waters have been contaminated by waste leaked from the local tannery.

“Tomas wants to disclose the information, seeking glory”, explains Jean-François Sivadier, “whilst Peter wants to hide the truth, seeking power”. Following on from Bertolt Brecht’s Life of Galileo in 2003 and Danton’s Death by Georg Büchner in 2006, the director and his favourite actor, Nicolas Bouchaud, have returned to the Célestins with a new classic, embodying a lively and bountiful production, an ambitious balancing act between the depths of drama and bursts of comedy.