Pasqualina is from Calabria, just like Saverio La Ruina, this soliloquy’s author. He recounts the life of misfortune of a young girl brought up in this remote region in a world where tradition, honour and family are the core values. Here or there, the olden days are still alive and well. Pasqualina says she doesn’t remember everything but recalls several key events which occurred before her life fell apart. She speaks, and flashbacks of her past shoot before her eyes; there she is, waiting for the future husband who’ll allow her to leave her father’s home so she can finally devote her life to the one who chose her. She walks through her village to draw water from the well or guard the sheep, glancing down on the pavement just like all well-behaved girls should, as she says, only daring to look in the eyes of the man who asked for her hand after making sure no one else is around. She never spoke to him, but one day, he smiled at her, and she couldn’t stop blushing. Now, when she hears him whistle, she knows he’s waiting for her in a secret hiding place.
The challenge of this soliloquy is to paint the portrait of a woman through Pasqualina’s voice, as a woman locked inside a patriarchal society. When reading this piece, Françoise Gillard’s thoughts went to Anna Cervinka, whose combination of humour, youthfulness, solemnity, and seemliness make her the perfect performer to embody a character whose tragic life is nonetheless alleviated by the presence of true beauty. For this solo performance, Françoise Gillard’s colleague dives into powerful words with a drive similar to that of Sonya, her character in our 2016 production of Uncle Vanya: “We must live our lives.”

Solo performance Singulis

BOOKING OPENS IN LATE SEPTEMBER 25

Seule-en-scène Singulis

Texte traduit avec le soutien de la Maison Antoine Vitez, Centre international de la traduction théâtrale

INFORMATION ACCESSIBILITÉ PMR

Les ascenseurs de la Galerie du Carrousel du Louvre étant en cours de remplacement, l’accès au Studio-Théâtre pour les personnes à mobilité réduite ne pourra être assuré que partiellement entre le 12 janvier et la mi-mars 2026.
Nous vous invitons à nous contacter à l’adresse accessibilite@comedie-française.org pour toute information complémentaire.

Direction: Françoise Gillard
Translation: Federica Martucci and Amandine Mélan
Costumes: Bernadette Villard
Lighting: Mathieu Derothe-Renaud
Sound: Samuel Robineau
Choreographic work: Loup Marcault-Derouard