Play Based on Gisele Pelicot Case Features Notable Actors

Thirty actors and public figures will take the stage next month for a one-off documentary theatre production about the trial of Dominique Pelicot. The Young Vic theatre will present The Pelicot Trial at London's County Hall on 30 November, running for four hours.

US comedian Rosie O'Donnell, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Adjoa Andoh, and Tamzin Outhwaite headline the cast. They will be joined by Juliet Stevenson, Samuel West, Oliva Wiliams, Kadiff Kirwan, Rosie Jones, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Lorraine Ashbourne, and Jordan Stephens. Additional casting for the production will be revealed in the coming weeks.

The script draws directly from court documents and psychiatric evaluations of the dozens of men prosecuted in the case. Dominique Pelicot received a 20-year prison sentence for drugging and raping his then-wife and allowing 50 other men to assault her while she was unconscious. The case sparked global outrage and turned Gisele Pelicot into a symbol of resilience against sexual violence.

Gisele Pelicot, 73, publicly waived her right to anonymity. She stated that shame belongs to the perpetrators, not the survivor. The Young Vic described the show as a "profoundly affecting piece of documentary theatre, comprised of testimonies and written accounts from the trial, (which) pays tribute to the ordinary woman who opened the way to change".

Developed with French journalists and feminist organizations, the play premiered in Vienna last year. It has since toured Avignon, New York, Lisbon, Milan, and Bergen. The County Hall performance will also stream online. General ticket sales begin on Wednesday.