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Les jours de mon abandon

Elena Ferrante

Concept, adaptation and direction Gaia Saitta
Sala Petita
07/02/25 al 09/02/25

Les jours de mon abandon

Beyond gender and against all logic

In late 1990s Italy, Olga, a 40-year-old married woman with two children, is a devoted mother and wife. She tries to lead a life in perfect conformity with what society has imposed on her. One day, her husband leaves her for a younger woman, like in a pathetic soap opera. And then, her entire universe collapses. Immersed in a constant feeling of danger, she spirals into rage and becomes a vulgar, violent and grotesque woman. How can she rebuild herself?
In this adaptation of Elena Ferrante's novel, the actress and stage director Gaia Saitta plays the protagonist of this story, accompanied by her children and her dog.

The first time I read The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante, I was left breathless before reaching the end of the story. I held the book away from me, as if I wanted to keep its protagonist and her world at a distance. The Italy of the 1990s is my mother’s Italy, much more than mine, and yet its imprint remains attached to my body. The single model of family, love, success. The devotion to normality and its dictates. Olga, despite her wit and intelligence, reflects this world perfectly. But Elena Ferrante shows us the hidden side of the story. She takes us by the hand and introduces us to another Olga. The scandalous and powerful woman who steps away from her time to connect with an archetypal period. The woman who gives me the desire and the strength to become the person I am. Beyond gender and against all logic. Yes, I needed to tell this story.

Author
Elena Ferrante

Concept, adaptation and direction
Gaia Saitta

Text and dramaturgy
Gaia Saitta and Mathieu Volpe

Cast
Jayson Batut, Flavie Dachy / Mathilde Karam, Gaia Saitta, Vitesse (el gos)

Artistic collaboration
Sarah Cuny
Mathieu Volpe
Jayson Batut

Set design
Paola Villani

Costume design
Frédérick Denis

Lighting design
Amélie Géhin

Music and sound design
Ezequiel Menalled

Video design and production
Stefano Serra

Assistant director
Sarah Cuny

Video assistant
Arthur Demaret

Set mechanization
Chris Vanneste

Acting coach for children
Lola Chuniaud

Dog training
Casting Tails – Tim Van Brussel (task carried out with full respect for the animal)

Interns
Lou-Ann Bererd (set design)
Tania Chirino (direction)
Paul Canfori (direction)

Set construction and costume making
Workshops of the Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles

Company’s technical and management teams
Head technician
Giuliana Rienzi

Lighting technician
Corentin Christiaens

Sound technician
Pawel Wnuczynski

Stage management
Thomas Linthoudt

Production
Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles

Co-production
Kunstenfestivaldesarts, Piccolo Teatro Milano – Teatro d’Europa, CSS Teatro stabile di innovazione del FVG, Teatre Nacional de Catalunya, Théâtre de Namur, Le Manège Maubeuge, La Coop asbl, Shelter Prod

With the support of
BAMP – Brussels Art Melting Pot, Tax Shelter.be, ING and the Tax Shelter of the Belgian Federal Government

A production by
Gaia Saitta / If Human inspired by I giorni dell’abbandono by Elena Ferrante
© 2002 by Edizioni E/O