The four-hour production The Pelicot Trial: Tribute to Gisèle Pelicot is coming to London County Hall for a single performance on November 30.
The Bottom Line
- The Date & Venue: The one-off UK premiere takes place at London County Hall on November 30, with general ticket sales opening on October 7.
- The Historical Context: The play derives directly from court transcripts, police files, and psychiatric reports tied to the Avignon trial where Gisèle Pelicot’s ex-husband was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Bringing the Avignon Testimony to London County Hall
London County Hall—historically known as the home of Agatha Christie’s Witness for the Prosecution—will host a very different kind of legal proceeding this autumn. The UK premiere of The Pelicot Trial arrives on November 30, following international runs in cities such as New York and Avignon, the French municipality where the original criminal proceedings shook public consciousness.
Young Vic artistic director and chief executive Nadia Fall witnessed the production in French and described the experience as jaw-dropping, harrowing, and deeply emotional. “It was the act of witnessing that really got me: it is long-form and testimonial in form,” Fall noted, adding that the production relies entirely on factual court records rather than traditional theatrical sets and costumes.
The Logistics of a Single Performance Ensemble
Staging a massive four-hour verbatim production for a single night requires a distinct theatrical blueprint. Because the engagement is strictly limited to one evening, the production enlists a large ensemble of recognizable television and stage actors who commit to a singular rehearsal.
The ensemble rehearses together just once, a logistical choice that allows producers to secure prominent talent for a brief window. The full cast of 30 performers will be announced in the coming weeks ahead of general ticket sales starting on October 7.
| Detail | Specification |
|---|---|
| UK Venue | London County Hall |
| Performance Date | November 30 |
| Ticket General Sale | October 7 |
| Cast Size | 30 actors and public figures |
| Creators | Milo Rau and Servane Dècle |
Transforming Courtroom Transcripts Into Political Theater
Milo Rau has built an international reputation for adapting high-profile real-world trials for the stage, previously tackling the Moscow courtroom case of Pussy Riot and the trial of Romanian despot Nicolae Ceaușescu. For this project, journalists covering the Avignon proceedings shared thousands of pages of personal notebooks with Rau and Dècle.
The resulting script compiles verbatim accounts from trial transcripts, police files, and psychiatric evaluations of the 51 men prosecuted for sexual offences. Dominique Pelicot was sentenced to 20 years in prison after investigators proved he drugged his wife unconscious over a period of almost a decade from 2011 and invited dozens of strangers from an online forum to assault her.
Gisèle Pelicot permanently altered the public discourse surrounding sexual violence by waiving her right to anonymity, declaring that “shame must change sides.” She subsequently attended a performance of the theatrical tribute in New York City, remarking that the lead actress performed better on stage than she herself had during the actual legal proceedings.
A Universal Examination of Patriarchy and Resilience
While the production confronts difficult subject matter, creators report that audiences overwhelmingly choose to remain in their seats for the duration of the four-hour runtime. Co-creator Servane Dècle noted that while the majority of attendees thus far have been women, she hopes more men will engage with the work to examine the psychological profiles of the perpetrators.
Nadia Fall emphasized that the project transcends the specific details of a single assault, serving instead as a broader testament to survival, autonomy, and public accountability. By granting permission for the stage adaptation, Gisèle Pelicot ensured that the dialogue sparked in the Avignon courtroom continues to reverberate internationally.
