A TRIAL – after The Enemy of the People

The production opens several contemporary debates, such as: the nature of truth today, the relationship between moral imperatives and economics, how people’s lives are affected by public judgment, and how fascism can use democratic principles to destroy democracy.

By bringing these discussions into a fictional courtroom where the audience serves as the jury, Ibsen’s work is revisited through evidence, testimonies, and the intimate and familial relationships of the characters on stage.

“Truth is over. That’s what scares me the most. It’s over. There are no more facts—only versions. And when truth loses its value, then this entire room—and everything it represents—becomes a performance.”

Moving between reality and fiction, between himself and his character Thomas Stockmann, Wagner Moura begins, before the audience, what will become his final defense. This shifting boundary between reality and fiction, actor and character, and the construction of a living dramaturgy—partly created with the participation of the audience—runs throughout the play.
The three actors—Wagner Moura, Julia Bernat, and Danilo Grangheia—work in complete harmony with the theatrical research of Christiane Jatahy, where the fine line between acting and performance is constantly blurred. It becomes impossible to tell when they are improvising and when they are acting.

Audience Participation
Each night, eleven people who register before the show are randomly selected to serve as the jury. In addition to asking questions during the performance, they are the ones who will decide at the end whether Thomas Stockmann is—or is not—an Enemy of the People from today’s perspective.

A project by Christiane Jatahy and Wagner Moura
Concept and Direction: Christiane Jatahy 
Text: Christiane Jatahy, Lucas Paraizo, and Wagner Moura 

Set Design, Lighting, and Artistic Collaboration: Thomas Walgrave
Video: Julio Parente
Costumes: Marina Franco
Director of Photography and Camera: Paulo Camacho
Sound design and mixing: Pedro Vituri

With Wagner Moura, Danilo Grangheia, Julia Bernat

and in the film: Marjorie Estiano, Jonas Bloch, and Salvador Moura 
Online participation: Tatiana Henrique 
Children in the film: Antonio Falcão, Henry Soares Paes Leme, and José Moura 
Production and Distribution Coordination: Henrique Mariano 
Administration: Charlotte Pesle Beal and Lison Bellanger (EPOC Productions)

Production: Axis Productions 

Co-production: Edinburgh International Festival (Scotland), Avignon Festival (France), Holland Festival (Amsterdam, Netherlands), Centro Cultural de Belém (Lisbon, Portugal), DeSingel (Antwerp, Belgium)
With the support of the UCLA Center for the Performing Arts (Los Angeles, USA) and the Instituto Guimarães Rosa – IGR – Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Brasília, Brazil)

Cie Vertice – Axis Productions is supported by the Île-de-France Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs and the French Ministry of Culture.

World Premiere October 2, 2025 – Espaço Trapiche, Salvador, Bahia