MOSTRA DE ESPETÁCULOS
The Secret Life of Old People
ORIGINAL TITLE: La Vie Secrète des Vieux
ARTIST: Mohamed El Khatib
70 min | Age Rating: 16+
21 and 22/3, Friday and Saturday, 8pm
23/3, Sunday, 6pm
PLACE: Sesc Vila Mariana
SYNOPSIS
Questioning whether aging marks the end of desire, director Mohamed El Khatib’s
documentary work challenges preconceived notions about old age. Based on a series of interviews conducted by the artist in nursing homes across France, the performance constructs a plural and lucid portrait of the reinvention of sexuality in later life, with its own rhythms and tempos. On stage, eight elderly individuals share intimate stories, reflect on past and present love experiences, and demonstrate that desire can persist, inversely proportional to the fragility of their bodies and society’s expectations.
BACKGROUN
Mohamed El Khatib is a writer, director, filmmaker, and visual artist born in Orléans, France, in 1980. His work spans performance, literature, and film, and he is a founding member of the Zirlib collective. Through intimate and social epics, he creates opportunities for artistic encounters with those far removed from the art world. This marks El Khatib’s third participation in MITsp. In 2019, he presented Depart in Beauty, and in 2022, Stadium. His repertoire also includes works like Moi, Corinne Dadat, which brings a cleaning lady and a classical dancer together on stage. Alongside his theater creations, he develops visual art projects in collaboration with various artists.
CRITICAL RECEPTION
“It’s beautiful, dense, provocative, and unprecedented. Between laughter and tears, the audience gives a standing ovation to our elderly cast, visibly moved. They could die on stage. Theater has given them a taste of eternity.” Philippe Chevilley, Les Echos
“Infinitely funny and eminently human, The Secret Life of the Elderly brings invisible bodies back into the spotlight in a performance of great simplicity and incredible precision. (…) Beneath the freely told desires for love lie deeply important underlying questions, such as age-related taboos, mistreatment, and infantilizing attitudes.” Louis Thiébaut, rtbf
“These amateurs became theater actors, leaving their nursing home to proclaim their desire to make love before an audience: that takes courage. That’s what we think, and this reflection says much about our own constraints. They, on the other hand, despite thinning hair, weakened muscles, or slow movements, couldn’t care less about our inhibitions. Mohamed El Khatib skillfully stages a confrontation between the spectator’s cautious morality and these taboo-free elders. While the tone of the performance is light (with plenty of laughter echoing from the audience), its content shifts between comedy and tragedy.” Joëlle Gayot, Le Monde
CREDITS
Concept and Direction: Mohamed El Khatib
Cast: Annie Boisdenghien, Micheline Boussaingault, Chille Deman, Jean-Pierre Dupuy, Yasmine Hadj Ali, Nicole Jourfier, Salimata Kamaté Dramaturgy and
Artistic Coordination: Camille Nauffray
Scenography and Artistic Collaboration: Fred Hocké
Video Design: Emmanuel Manzano
Sound Design: Arnaud Léger
Production Management: Gil Paon
General Coordination: Jonathan Douchet
Tour Coordination: Madeleine Campa and Cléo Debernardi
Subtitle Coordination: Zacharie Dutertre
Artistic Coordination for Tours: Mathilde Chadeau
Production: Zirlib
Co-production: Festival d’Automne à Paris, Points Comuns – 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, and Le Channel – Scène Nationale de Calais
Artistic Residency: Le Mucem – Marseille, CIRCA La Chartreuse
Zirlib is supported by the French Ministry of Culture – Drac Centre-Val de Loire, the Centre-Val de Loire region, and the city of Orléans.
Mohamed El Khatib is an associated artist of the Théâtre de la Ville de Paris, Théâtre National de Bretagne in Rennes, Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles, and tnba – Théâtre National Bordeaux Aquitaine.
THIS SHOW IS SUPPORTED BY THE INSTITUT FRANÇAIS PARIS AND THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF FRANCE IN SÃO PAULO
