MAKING THEATRE
DISCRETION
based on the novel by Faїza Guène
In 1962, Algeria won independence from French rule following a bloody eight-year war.
In Discretion, Faїza Guène deftly explores a generation that remained discreet about harrowing experiences on both sides of the Mediterranean.
A performance on independence and exile.
“After the encores [in Marseille, 2024], the audience danced on stage long and lustily, crying and laughing and eager to share the ways in which the experiences captured in Discretion resonated for them.”
This production in words, music and images - inspired by Faïza Guène’s novel - marks the French Algerian writer's commitment to leaving traces, defying erasure and making sense of what we inherit.
A mother, a French Algerian family, a history for everyone…
Discretion premiered at the Edinburgh International Book Festival in August 2022, presented by EIBF in association with Good Chance and supported by a British Council International Collaboration Grant.
From 20 - 25 May 2024, Discretion was in performed in Daridja (Algerian dialectal Arabic), Tamazight (Berber) and French across Algeria in collaboration with local artists and partners, including L’AARC and L’IFA. It was also performed at Mucem in Marseille, France at the Oh Les Beaux Jours! festival.
On 20 June 2025, Discretion returned by popular demand to the stage as part of the Les 15-16 à l'heure d'été Festival at the Théâtre de la Sucrière in Marseille.
“[Discretion] is not only a Franco-Algerian story but above all, a universal theme, that of the right to storytelling, of the legitimacy of each person to create a home for themselves, taking root in their past but also in their vital energy of emancipation.”
- Samia Chabani for Ancrages
“Formally inventive, Discretion gave us a joyful and demanding performance that made its mark on the Oh Les Beaux Jours ! 2024 festival. Discretion is crafted like a show but with a dash of innovative spontaneity. The audience was very diverse – which is not easy to achieve in the literature sector – especially in terms of age. The MUCEM team was delighted.”
- Fabienne Pavia, co-director of Oh Les Beaux Jours ! festival
“The spirit of this project is an 'out of the box' literature event, reimagining how to bring books to new audiences in accessible ways. And for me, it is a perfect example of the power of international collaboration and the shared human experience expressed through art.”
- Sharon Wardle, British Ambassador to Algeria in a post-show speech at the regional theatre KATEB Yacine in Tizi Ouzou
“There aren’t many representations of Algerian families in France. Mostly it’s caricatures – either heroes or delinquents and terrorists. My way of being honest is to make them complex, neither black nor white.”
- Faïza Guène interviewed for The Observer
Writer
Faïza Guène
Translator & Creative Producer
Sarah Ardizzone
Director & Producer for Good Chance
Dina Mousawi of Good Chance Theatre
Adapted by
Sarah Ardizzone & Faïza Guène
Music, Soundtrack & Character Voices
Hakim Hamadouche & Sylvie Paz
Percussion
Nadia Tighidet
Violin
Kheireddine M'Kachiche
Photography & Video Projection Design
Shiraz Bazin-Moussi
Performed by
Meriem Medjkane and Amal Kateb in Marseille, June 2025
Meriem Medjkane, Amal Kateb and Fatiha Kebaili in Algeria and Marseille, May 2024
Lina Soualem & Sarah Ardizzone at Edinburgh International Book Festival, August 2022
