MAKING THEATRE
DISCRETION
60 years ago, Algeria won independence from French rule following a bloody eight-year war. Many fled to France to escape violence by both sides, including Faїza Guène’s parents. In Discretion, Faїza deftly explores a generation that remained discreet about harrowing experiences on both sides of the Mediterranean.
A performance on independence and exile.
The premier international performance of this seminal novel by best-selling novelist Faïza Guène took place at Edinburgh International Book Festival in August 2022, presented by EIBF in association with Good Chance and supported by the British Council International Collaboration Grants.
Both the novel - and the performance it has inspired - mark the French Algerian writer's commitment to leaving traces, defying erasure and making sense of what we inherit.
From 20 - 25 May 2024, Discretion was in performed in Daridja (Algerian dialectal Arabic), Tamazight (Berber) and French across Algeria in collaboration with local artists and partners, and in Marseille, France at the Oh Les Beaux Jours! Festival, produced by Good Chance with support from the British Council, L’AARC and L’IFA. Discrection has been funded by the British Council’s International Collaboration Grants.
“The spirit of this project is an 'out of the box' literature event, reimagining how to bring books to new audiences in accessible ways. And for me, it is a perfect example of the power of international collaboration and the shared human experience expressed through art.”
- Sharon Wardle, British Ambassador to Algeria in a post-show speech at the regional theatre KATEB Yacine in Tizi Ouzou
“There aren’t many representations of Algerian families in France. Mostly it’s caricatures – either heroes or delinquents and terrorists. My way of being honest is to make them complex, neither black nor white.”
- Faïza Guène interviewed for The Observer
Writer
Faïza Guène
Translator & Creative Producer
Sarah Ardizzone
Director & Producer for Good Chance
Dina Mousawi of Good Chance Theatre
Adapted by
Sarah Ardizzone & Faïza Guène
Music, Soundtrack & Character Voices
Hakim Hamadouche & Sylvie Paz
Percussion
Nadia Tighidet
Photography & Video Projection Design
Shiraz Bazin-Moussi
Performed by
Lina Soualem & Sarah Ardizzone at Edinburgh International Book Festival, August 2022
Meriem Medjkane, Amal Kateb and Fatiha Kebaili in Algeria and Marseille, May 2024
