Eliška Balog
directed by Eliška Balog
dramaturgy Veronika Onheiserová
The Pelicot Case
An ironed tablecloth on the table, the smell of toasted bread, and freshly brewed coffee. A morning like any other. Were there two or three sugar cubes? Increasingly frequent memory lapses. Otherwise, life like through rose-coloured glasses – retirement in the French countryside, grown-up children, grandchildren, a dog, and a happy fifty-year marriage. A story that gets interrupted by a phone call from the local police station. And the rose-covered castle awakens from its dream.
The true story of Gisèle Pelicot, who was regularly drugged by her own husband for ten years and subsequently, by him together with other men, abused. As a journey into the shadowy corners of Western society, but also a celebration of extraordinary personal strength and courage. In the unexpected form of a subversive musical, allowing for a perspective on otherwise unimaginable events. The story of a woman who decided to let the public into the courtroom and into her life. Reject the stigma of the victim and lend hervoice to millions of other abused women. Even in the fairy tale of patriarchy, it is necessary to clearly distinguish good from evil. Then the nightmare can turn into an ode to love and life. Shame must change sides.
Content Warning
Dear audience, we are bringing to the stage the true story of a woman who survived over two hundred rapes without her knowledge, and who subsequently decided to open the legal proceedings against the perpetrators to the public.
The production you are about to see deals with an exceptionally sensitive subject. It is an attempt to find a language for an experience that could affect any one of us—to convey the incommunicable.
Patterns of violence against women recur within our society. And they will continue to recur as long as we push them to the margins, overlook them, or downplay their significance—as long as we remain unwilling to see and hear them.
Thank you for having the courage to pay attention, and—should the need arise—to offer help or ask for it. We are here for you.
Trigger Warnings: 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 12, 13
Does this topic affect you or someone in your life? You do not have to face it alone. Do not be afraid to seek help:
proFem +420 608 222 277, poradna@profem.cz, profem.cz
Bílý kruh bezpečí (White Circle of Safety) free 24/7 helpline: 116 006, bkb.cz
Persefona +420 737 834 345, poradna@persefona.cz, persefona.cz
Konsent svepomocnaskupina@konsent.cz
Bílý kruh bezpečí provides free, 24/7 legal, psychological, and crisis support nationwide to victims of any type of crime.
proFem and Persefona specialize in long-term professional support (psychological, legal, and social) specifically for victims of domestic and sexual violence. The self-help group organized by Konsent assists women who have experienced sexual violence.
Eliška Balog (1994) is a manifestation of the emerging generation of Czech theatre direction. After studying directing and dramaturgy of alternative and puppet theatre at DAMU, her name has appeared on experimental stages (Vzlet, MeetFactory) as well as at major publicly funded theatres (National Theatre, Drama Studio Ústí nad Labem). She moves across genres, with a tendency towards masks, movement, and visual stylization. Her work is closely connected with writing dramatic texts, which she subsequently stages herself. She is interested in themes of minorities, exclusion, and outsiders. For her play Všem se nám uleví (We Will All Feel Relieved), she received the Evald Schorm Award for 2021. At the Husa na provázku Theatre, she first appeared in 2026 with her original production My Hooves Have Already Torn Up the Ground.
