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Rewritten Article:
Swinging Open the Doors of Inclusion: A Run-Down of Les Galas du TNS at Strasbourg's National Theatre
Since making her Directorial debut at the National Theatre of Strasbourg (TNS) in September 2023, Caroline Guiela Nguyen has been all about giving a voice to the untold and embracing the diversity that society has to offer. On April 23, she lit the fuse on Les Galas du TNS, a dynamic celebration mashup of creation, community, and artistic excellence. The event is expected to run until May 3. Les Galas aims to unite, across the various inch-thick walls of TNS, a throng of artists who, above all else, have crafted their shows with hands that haven't walked many red carpet miles before gracing our stages.
Some of the headliners for this inaugural season include Marius, a Marcel Pagnol adaptation designed by Joël Pommerat and first staged in 2019 with a troupe of inmates from the Arles prison. The festivities kicked off with two fresh productions: Valentina, directed by none other than Caroline Guiela Nguyen, and Je suis venu te chercher, by Claire Lasne Darcueil. Both plays find their roots in documentary work carried out by a team at TNS at the behest of its director and seek to collect the life stories of people from the Strasbourg region. Even so, these two thespians are treading vastly different paths breathing life into their narratives.
A Delicate Balance of Hope and Strife
In Caroline Guiela Nguyen's case, her inspiration hit a nerve close to home—specifically Migrations Santé Alsace, an association that establishes a network of interpreters to lend aid to migrants and refugees who grapple with French, ensuring they avoid the harsh and unforgiving clutches of "institutional violence." Despite her unwavering faith in the power of fiction, she dares to delve deeper than the plain facts. Valentina, a 9-year-old girl from Romania, has emigrated to France with her ailing mother, who fears that her heart woes won't be given the tender care they require in her hometown. Valentina, who assimilates French like a pro and becomes the de facto interpreter for her mother in medical encounters, plunges us into a tragic whirlwind of deceit and sacrifice, piled one on top of the other in the name of love. The story weaves a twisted yet captivating blend of fairy tale-like innocence and chilling horror, as the weight of the world threatens to crush the soul of this wide-eyed young girl.
- Marius, the Marcel Pagnol adaptation initially staged in 2019 by Joël Pommerat, was one of the headliners for Les Galas du TNS at Strasbourg's National Theatre, led by Caroline Guiela Nguyen.
- Valentina, directed by Caroline Guiela Nguyen, is a play that explores the life stories of people from the Strasbourg region, focusing on a 9-year-old girl from Romania who emigrated to France with her ailing mother and became the de facto interpreter in medical encounters.
- Caroline Guiela Nguyen's play, Valentina, displays a delicate balance of hope and strife, weaving a compelling narrative that seamlessly blends fairy tale-like innocence with chilling horror, set against the backdrop of institutional violence and the challenges faced by migrants.
- The inaugural season of Les Galas du TNS brings together a diverse group of artists, many of whom haven't walked many red carpet miles before gracing the stages of TNS, thereby highlighting the organization's commitment to inclusion and artistic excellence.
- With the incorporation of fashion-and-beauty, food-and-drink, home-and-garden, and relationship-themed events, Les Galas du TNS aims to create a dynamic celebration that reflects the lifestyles of the Strasbourg community, further enhancing the overall theater experience.
