De ce côté

By

Dieudonné Niangouna

Performed by

Dieudonné Niangouna

Texte et mise en scène – Dieudonné Niangouna

Alone on stage, Congolese writer, director, and actor Dieudonné Niangouna delivers a tale of exile and questions the role of theatre in a world assailed by violence.

“I see it all in my mind’s eye: my porous words, my soul pierced all over with holes, my broken history, an entire life completely wasted. I write the things that escape from my tormented mind before the words arrive – flat out, driven by a sense of urgency.” These are the words of an actor called Dido.  An exiled actor who was forced to leave his country in the middle of a theatre performance after a bombing. An actor haunted by the characters who urge him to get back on stage to bring them back to life, to reveal their true feelings. In a set stripped bare, Dieudonné Niangouna plays a theatrical duo; alone with his demons, he explores the question of legitimacy, of the place we inhabit – or leave behind – in society. True to his sensual eloquence and intense lyricism, here he focuses on the verb, physical presence, and theatrical dexterity. He rewinds the thread of his story and confronts his demons. As he steps into Dido’s skin, his roaring vision of political theatre springs to life.

Programmed as part of the Festival Sens Interdits, festival international de théâtre