Performance + Q&A
She No Princess, He No Hero

Conception and direction by Johanny Bert


Wednesday, February 6, 2019
9:30am & 11:30am;
Thursday, February 7, 2019
10am & 12pm
Grades 2 & up • In English • 70 mins



Part of TILT Kids Festival 2019

Exclusive preview performances for school groups!

Leïli and Nils are classmates. Leïli likes to hunt, to dress like boys, and to put gel in her hair. Since she lives in the country, her mother dresses her in practical clothes: “No dresses, no ballet flats”. Nils has long hair, cries often, and is not very strong. His father worries about him: “He is thin as a rail, he eats like a bird, and he has the haircut of a little girl”. Together, these children will grow up without being either a princess or a hero.

Conceived by celebrated French director Johanny Bert and performed in English by an American cast, this intimate and poignant piece sheds light on the gender stereotypes boys and girls must confront as they come of age. Commissioned from Magali Mougel, the story is told through the voices of two characters who do not assume the roles that society has dictated for them. They challenge expectations instead.

The two-part play unfolds in separate spaces for two 30-person groups, one side guided by Leïli, the other by Nils. At intermission, the groups switch rooms and meet the other character. Like a puzzle, the piece allows the audience to deconstruct clichés about identity.

Performance will be followed by a Q&A with the director and cast.

Cast
Marleny Heredia (Leïli)
Zan VaiLento (Nils)

Creative Team
Conception and direction by Johanny Bert
Assistant director: Dylan Ungaretta
Text commissioned from Magali Mougel
Translation by Christopher Campbell
Illustrations: Michael Ribaltchenko
Props & costumes: Thibaut Fack
Administration, production, touring: Mathieu Hilléreau and Les Indépendances
Produced by the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF)