Théâtre de la Croix-Rousse: The Art of Always Being Right, Once Again!

Barely seated in the stands, we witnessed the entrance of two speakers, a man and a woman—parity was respected. They introduced themselves as members of Girafe (International Research Group for Automatically Federating Voters), there to present their work and encourage us to run for office (any election, and no matter which party we wanted to represent). And with good reason! They had developed a method that guaranteed victory in any election.

With demonstrations to back them up, they teach how to always have something to say, how to make conflict disappear and, above all, how to always be right, whatever the circumstances.

This is the starting point for this show by the Lyon-based company Cassandre, co-written by Logan de Carvalho (playwright, actor, and associate artist at the Théâtre de la Croix-Rousse) and Sébastien Valignat, who also directs. They draw on real examples of speeches from our political life.

This mock conference, more real—and funnier—than reality, highlights the discursive techniques of propaganda we encounter daily: wordplay, sophistry, doublespeak, lies disguised as irrefutable truths (or vice versa), feigned complicity… They pull out all the stops. Because, in any case, the point isn't to argue, but to manipulate. In the roles of the two PR people, Adeline Benamara (authoritarian and abrasive) and Sébastien Valignat (naive and evasive) are absolutely hilarious.

The Art of Always Being Right – From November 4th to 8th at the Théâtre de la Croix-Rousse