Less than a month before the tenth anniversary of the July 14, 2016 attack in Nice, the National Theatre of Nice (TNN) has finally decided to cancel the public reading ofWaiting for the future, scheduled for June 20 at the Cimiez Arena. This text by lawyer Olivia Chalus, constructed from notes taken during the trial of the accomplices of the attack and enriched by accounts from victims, had provoked a strong protest from survivors and relatives of the missing.
An art project halted due to victims' refusal
The controversy intensified after the intervention of the association Life for Nice, which called for the event to be cancelled. According to statements publicly released by the association, several victims felt that their experiences could not be portrayed on stage without their prior consent. They denounced the use of their personal stories in an artistic context that they considered inappropriate.
After several discussions aimed at maintaining the performance, no common ground could be found. The theatre and the author therefore announced they were abandoning the project, considering that the debate had ultimately overshadowed the work itself.
Between creative freedom and still painful memories
In a joint statement, the Théâtre National de Nice and Olivia Chalus explained that the suffering caused by the tragedy had gradually overshadowed the artistic intention. They also expressed regret that the fear of causing offense can sometimes make it more difficult to depict sensitive subjects, while clarifying that this cancellation should not be interpreted as an endorsement of censorship.
The TNN nevertheless defended the role of theatre in the face of contemporary tragedies, reminding everyone that art can also be a space where contradictory narratives coexist without necessarily finding a resolution. Despite this cancellation, the program dedicated to the memory of July 14, 2016, continues: the play Prom 14, written by Thierry Vimal about the death of his daughter in the attack, remains scheduled to run in Nice at the end of June.
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