The Secret Life of Old People

About

Does love die as the end of life is nighing? 

This show takes us on a journey to meet the elderly – or, directly speaking, old men and women – to have a talk about their love stories. 

As people are aging, they are facing the regard of the society, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, the reality of their worn-out bodies changing day by day. 

And yet, very often, love is still alive. And even more so is the desire, sometimes going hand in hand with reinvented sexuality. No longer subjected to the need to perform or to social pressure, it gains its own rhythm, its own pace, its own fragile intimacy, nonetheless remains equally intense. 

These encounters with the elderly will teach us how to enjoy love. 

To produce this piece, Mohamed El Khatib collected the narrations of elderly people from all walks of life, from which he has woven a story reflecting a wide range of amorous experiences. This landscape of love in old age will provide a nostalgic backdrop for our romantic recollections, but it will also hold out a promise that desire can nestle in the fragility of our lives until our last breath. 

Cast

Cast – alternating and in the order of age: Annie Boisdenghien, Micheline Boussaingault, Mariecke de Bussac, Chille Deman, Martine Devries, Jean-Pierre Dupuy, Yasmine Hadj Ali, Nicole Jourfier, Salimata Kamaté, Etienne Kretzschmar, Jacqueline Juin, Annette Sadoul, Jean Paul Sidolle 

Creatives

Concept and implementation: Mohamed El Khatib 
Dramaturgy and artistic coordination: Camille Nauffray
Set design and artistic collaboration: Fred Hocké 
Video: Emmanuel Manzano 
Sound: Arnaud Léger 
Production manager: Gil Paon 
Technical coordinator: Jonathan Douchet 
Technical team on tour: Jonathan Douchet, Arnaud Léger 
Surtitling operator: Zacharie Dutertre 
Artistic coordination of tours: Mathilde Chadeau 
Administrative matters: Lucile Macé assisted by Rosalie Duroux 
Production manager: Naïs Aumage 
Medical assistance: Virginie Tanda, Paul Ceulenaere, Vinciane Watrin 
Production: Zirlib 
Co-production: Festival d'Automne à Paris, Points communs – Nouvelle scène nationale Cergy-Pontoise-Val d'Oise, Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles, La Comédie de Genève, Théâtre national de Bordeaux en Aquitaine, Théâtre national de Bretagne (Rennes), Tandem Scène nationale d’Arras-Douai, MC2: Grenoble Scène nationale, La Comédie de Clermont-Ferrand Scène nationale, Théâtre Garonne Scène européenne (Toulouse), Festival d’Avignon, Théâtre du Bois de l'Aune (Aix-en-Provence), Équinoxe Scène nationale de Châteauroux, Théâtre de la Croix-Rousse (Lyon), La Coursive Scène nationale de La Rochelle, Espace 1789 – Saint-Ouen, Théâtre de Saint-Quentin en Yvelines Scène nationale, Le Channel – Scène nationale de Calais
In residence: Mucem – Marseille, CIRCA La Chartreuse 

Zirlib is supported by the Ministry of Culture – Regional Directorate of Culture for Centre-Val de Loire, the Region of Centre-Val de Loire, and the municipality of Orléans. 

Mohamed El Khatib is an associate artist of the Théâtre de la Ville in Paris, the Théâtre National de Bretagne in Rennes, the Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles and the tnba – Théâtre national de Bordeaux en Aquitaine. 

Mohamed El Khatib is a playwright, director and visual artist. In his projects he balances on the borderlines of performance, literature, and cinema. Through intimate narrations focusing on social issues, he creates opportunities to engage in art for people standing outside it. After Moi, Corinne Dadat, where he asked a cleaning lady and a ballet dancer to recount their skills, he continued his exploration of the working class with the monumental production STADIUM, where he brought 58 RC Lens club fans on stage. He held radio and TV interviews with children of divorced parents to show what stories are unfolding in the families. Besides his theatre projects, Mohamed El Khatib has conducted artistic research in collaboration with several fine artists.