A TRIAL – after The Enemy of the People

“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.”

Henrik Ibsen sets his play An Enemy of the People in a spa town where, after years of economic crisis, the inhabitants are beginning to make a living from tourism.

But Thomas Stockmann, the doctor in charge of the spa, discovers that the waters are polluted and decides to write an article for the press, thereby jeopardising the local economy.

His relations with the press, politicians – his brother, Peter, is the town’s mayor – and the local population turn into a battle of interests and rhetoric.

Thomas rejects any compromise, refuses to give up his ideas and, in a fit of rage during a public meeting, proclaims himself the only person capable of deciding what is best for the people.

The town then decides to declare Thomas Stockmann an ‘enemy of the people’, and the play ends with his public lynching and his exile, along with that of his family.

A Trial – following on from An Enemy of the People – picks up the story several years later. It raises a number of issues, such as: the truth today; the relationship between moral imperatives and the economy; how people’s lives are affected by public trials; and how fascism exploits democratic principles to destroy democracy.

In this staging, these dialogues are set in a fictional courtroom where the audience acts as the jury in the confrontation between the play’s characters. Ibsen’s work is revisited through evidence, testimonies and the intimate, familial relationships between the characters on stage.

Wagner Moura navigates the space between reality and fiction, between himself and his character, Thomas Stockmann. This boundary between reality and fiction, between actor and character, and the creation of a living dramaturgy—which is partly shaped by the audience’s participation—permeates the entire play.

The three actors – Wagner Moura, Julia Bernat and Danilo Grangheia – work in complete harmony with the director, Christiane Jatahy’s, exploration of language, in which the fine line between acting and performance is constantly blurred, making it impossible to tell when they are improvising and when they are actually acting.

Audience participation
Eleven people, who sign up before the play, are drawn at random each evening to
serve as the jury; as well as asking questions during the play, they will be the ones to decide at the end whether Thomas Stockmann is, or is not, from a modern-day perspective, an Enemy of the People.

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

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 

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
Direct sound Cristiano Caldeira
Sound technician Diogo Magalhães
Video technician Diego Avila
Technical director Mickaël Marchadier
Facial Analysis Vini Kilesse
Costume assistant Laysa Dias
Testimonials Elisangela de Araujo Aurelio, Graça Maria, Rodrigo Silva
Legal advice on content Julia Sandroni
Text research and transcription Bruno Peretti
Toxicology consultancy Christophe Durewski
Model Lilliput Miniaturas & Maquetes
Photos Caio Lirio
Press office Factoria Comunição, Vanessa Cardoso, Daniella Cavalcanti
Production support in Rio de Janeiro and Salvador Ana Beatriz Figueras, Joana D’Aguiar

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