BARBER SHOP CHRONICLES
Inua Ellams / Junior Mthombeni & Michael De Cock
- Duur: +/- 1h45, work in progress
- Location : Salle de la Grande Main
- Languages: Français
PRODUCTION TDL
Performance created on September 21, 2025 at the Théâtre de Liège
From 12 years old
For many African and Afro-descendant men, the barber shop is much more than a place to get a haircut. It is a gathering place, a space for confidences, where barbers inadvertently become wise men and where the barber shop turns into a place of belonging, memory, and intergenerational transmission; a space to talk about politics, family, migration, colonial heritage, dreams, and daily struggles, while laughing and sharing moments of vulnerability.
In a play that crosses continents, BARBER SHOP CHRONICLES invites the audience to discover six barber shops in six different cities (Kinshasa, Ouagadougou, Douala, Dakar, Abidjan, and Brussels) on a UEFA Champions League final day that captures the attention of millions, highlighting the diversity of Africa and its diaspora, while revealing the deep cultural connections that unite them.
Through the sharp, rhythmic dialogues of playwright Inua Ellams, combined with music, humor, and emotion, the new adaptation of BARBER SHOP CHRONICLES by Junior Mthombeni and Michael De Cock celebrates oral traditions, the power of storytelling, and the richness of Afro-descendant cultures.
Calendar
Distributions
With
P. Adade, Junior Akwety, BATGAME, Hippolyte Bohouo, Martin Chishimba, Salif Cissé, Yoli Fuller, Aristote Luyindela, José Mavà, Jovial Mbenga, Souleymane Sylla, Clyde Yeguete
Text Inua Ellams
Direction Junior Mthombeni and Michael De Cock
Collective translation by Master 1 students in Translation (ULiège) under the supervision of Valérie Bada (Interdisciplinary Center for Research in Translation and Interpretation)
Set and Lighting Design Stef Stessel
Costumes Marie Lovenberg
Artistic Collaboration Caroline Gonce
Dramaturgy Gerardo Salinas
Stage Management Baptiste Wattier
Lighting Management Antoine Fiori
Sound Management Jaspar Kevin
Visuals Kelvin Konadu
Set Construction Théâtre de Liège Workshop
Costume Making Théâtre de Liège Workshops
Production Théâtre de Liège and DC&J Création
Co-production KVS, MC93 Maison de la Culture de Seine-Saint-Denis Bobigny, Théâtre de Namur, Théâtre Jean Vilar Louvain-la-Neuve, Théâtre National de Strasbourg, Le Volcan Scène nationale du Havre, Bonlieu Scène nationale Annecy, La Comédie de Valence CDN Drôme-Ardèche, TNDM – Teatro Nacional Dona Maria II Lisbon, TNC – Teatre Nacional de Catalunya Barcelona, Lliure Barcelona, Piccolo Teatro di Milano Teatro d’Europa, Les Théâtres de la Ville du Luxembourg
Supported by the Tax Shelter of the Belgian Federal Government, Inver Tax Shelter
With the artistic participation of the Jeune Théâtre National (France)
Supported by the Club des Entreprises Partenaires of Théâtre de Liège
This production was licensed through The Agency (London) Ltd, 24 Pottery Lane, London W11 4LZ. The Barbershop Chronicles was originally produced by Fuel Theatre and The National Theatre (May 30, 2017).
The original play Chroniques du Barber Shop by Inua Ellams will be published by L’Arche in September 2025, in a collective translation directed by Valérie Bada.
