Bussang (France) (AFP)

On the boards of the Théâtre du Peuple in Bussang (Vosges), young actors who have recently graduated after studies turned upside down by the Covid-19 pandemic, give voice and body to Nicolas Mathieu's novel, "Their children after them", 2018 Goncourt prize .

For three hours, the 13 actors and actresses take turns playing the multiple characters of the river novel of more than 400 pages, a distant story of the youth of its author in Heillange, a fictional town in Lorraine reminiscent of Hayange, hard hit by the de-industrialization.

The story follows a group of teenagers over four summers, in the 1990s: all want to "get the hell out of it", their dream, but are doomed to relive the cramped and battered life of their parents.

The director Simon Delétang poses at the "Théâtre du Peuple" where he adapted "Their children after them", a book by Nicolas Mathieu, Prix Goncourt 2018, August 19, 2021 in Bussang (Vosges).

SEBASTIEN BOZON AFP

For the director Simon Delétang, the text is not only "one of the greatest contemporary stories" but also a local affair, "written by someone who was born in Epinal, who is from here".

Each actor plays passages from the book preserved "in its integrity".

"I haven't changed a single comma, a single word. Simply, it's a collage work, a montage of the text, like in the cinema", explains Simon Delétang.

The piece opens with Nirvana's "Smell Like Teen Spirit", an iconic teenage song that turns 30 this year.

The young people of Nicolas Mathieu's novel listened to him in their evenings in the summer of 1992.

Then, in the last act, the Théâtre du Peuple reveals its singularity: the backdrop opens onto the Vosges forest and the artists play with this green setting.

"I hope that this first experience in this mythical place will mark their career", underlines the director.

Because beyond September 4, date of the last performance, it will be a "leap into the void" for them.

- A "political" response -

Barely graduated from the National School of Theater Arts and Techniques (ENSATT) in Lyon, after three years of training disrupted by the Covid-19, they will make their entry into the professional world.

This photo taken on August 19, 2021 in Bussang (Vosges) shows "Le Théâtre du Peuple" where a theatrical adaptation of "Their children after them" is performed, a book by Nicolas Mathieu, Prix Goncourt 2018. SEBASTIEN BOZON AFP

Sponsor of their promotion, Simon Delétang wanted to "bring an almost political response" to the difficulties they encountered by putting their foot in the stirrup.

"They had a terrible education: we fought to pay them here, that they have at least this little cushion of exit", he explains.

This first job allows them to accumulate their first fees with, in perspective, the safety net of the status of intermittent entertainment.

"It's a really exceptional school outing," said one of the actresses, 23-year-old Kainana Ramadani.

But the concern is already in the troop after months of closure of cultural places which brought the economy of the whole sector to its knees.

"Almost all theaters' programming is postponed for two years," regrets Héloïse Cholley, 24-year-old actress.

"The theaters are barely going to reopen, they are not going to re-engage, nobody is going to employ us and that is really scary."

The public seems to worry much less about their future.

The show is "a success: we want to hire them all," enthuses Joëlle Bartelmann, 68, former director of youth and cultural centers.

Next to her, Claudine Miesch, 62, also retired director of MJC, “loved it” and spoke of “an incredible performance from these young people”.

The public came to attend the theatrical adaptation of "Their children after them", a book by Nicolas Mathieu, Prix Goncourt 2018, at the "Théâtre du Peuple" in Bussang (Vosges), August 19, 2021. SEBASTIEN BOZON AFP

Nicolas Mathieu's book, "Their children after them" (Actes Sud), won the Goncourt prize in 2018. The Vosges author's second novel has sold more than 530,000 copies and has been translated into 20 languages.

(The play is played from Thursday to Sunday at 3:00 p.m., until September 4. Duration of the show: 3.15 hours, with a 30-minute intermission. Ticket price: between 25 and 8 euros depending on price and seating).

© 2021 AFP