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Tomorrow, from Any Window [Demain, une fenêtre sur rue]
Author(s): Jean-Claude Grumberg
From a fourth-floor window, the Duplantin family watches street fighting in the neighborhood below. It's a battle between the rich and the poor, the haves and the have-nots. The rich have all the means to win the fight: a strong government, professional soldiers, supplies and ammunition. With the exception of a compassionate daughter who opposes the horror, the Duplantin family, together with neighbors who have joined them, watch the fighting from the comfort of their home as if it were an everyday scene. This play was written by Grumberg after reading The Golden Windows by Polish-Jewish writer Adolf Rudnicki, a story about the horrors of the Warsaw ghetto during the German occupation in World War II. In his play, Grumberg conveys the belief that the responsibility for violence lies not only with those who actively collaborate, but also with those who stand by and do nothing.
Format: Drama
Cast Size: 6M/3F
Running Time: 90 minutes
Character breakdown:
Gaston: Marcel Cuvelier
Gérard: Jean-Gabriel Nordmann
Huguette: Michèle Moretti
Yvonne: Frédérique Ruchaud
Soldier (Le soldat): François Dyreck
Oscar: André Julien
Neighbor (La voisine): Thérèse Quentin
Neighbor (Le voisin): Jean-Pierre Lituac
Black soldier (Le soldat noir): Ambroise M’Bia
White soldier (Le soldat blanc): François Dyreck
Notes:
Reference material:
Une semaine de Paris, n° 1108, 14-20.2.1968, n° 1109, 21-27.2.1968. – Figaro, 15.2.1968, 21.2, 24/25.2, 22.3.1968, 25.6.1968. – Figaro littéraire, n° 1141, 26.2-3.3.1968
The play has been adapted several times. Among the most important are the following:
1) Revival: Béziers (France) : Théâtre Municipal, then Perpignan, 16, 17, Carcassonne, 18, Sète, 19, Alès, Cinéma Casino, 20, Montpellier, Théâtre Municipal, 21, 1969-02-15, Edition: Tour, France, 1969, With : Marcel Cuvelier: Gaston Duplantin; Jean-Gabriel Nordmann: Gérard; Michelle Moretti: Huguette; Frédérique Ruchaud: Yvonne; François Dyreuk: The soldier; André Julien: Oscar; Thérèse Quentin then Frédérique Villedent: The neighbor; Jean-Pierre Lituac then Daniel Dubois: The neighbor; Ambroise M’Bia: Le soldat noir. Reference(s): TM, bimestr. magazine, no. 1, Nov. 1968; no. 2, Jan. 1969.
2) Centre dramatique romand production ; Performance: Lausanne (Switzerland): Théâtre des Faux-Nez (Charles Apotheloz), 1969-03-04. Note(s): With the author’s agreement, the actors of the Centre dramatique romand will improvise collectively on the theme of the play. Reference(s): Panorama, document 13
3) Spectacle de la Troupe théâtrale de l’INSA; Performance: Villeurbanne (France) : INSA, Rotonde des humanités, 1975-05-05. Reference(s) : Lyon-Poche, 172. – Résonance, 111
4) Directed by Jean-Paul Roussillon; sets by André Acquart; costumes by Barbara Rychlowska; with Myriam Boyer, Catherine Ferran, Olga Grumberg… [et al]. Performance: Orléans (France): Le CADO, 1993-01-06. Note(s): Lighting: Jean-Pierre Pinoteau. – Sound: Paul Bergel. – Performed at Le CADO, Orléans from January 6 to 17, 1993; then toured to Paris, Théâtre national de la Colline, from March 9 to April 25, 1993. Also performed by: Philippe Laudenbach; Joachim Lombard; Jacques Martial; Baptiste Roussillon; Jean-Paul Roussillon; Pierre Santini.
Snapshot
Original or Prominent Production:
Directed by Marcel Cuvelier; performed by Compagnie Marcel Cuvelier; sets and costumes by Mario Franceschi. Performance: Paris (France): Théâtre de l'Alliance-Française, 02-15-1968 Note(s): Sound production; Proix et Gasquet. Last performed on 30.3.1968.
Directed by Marcel Cuvelier; performed by Compagnie Marcel Cuvelier; sets and costumes by Mario Franceschi. Performance: Paris (France): Théâtre de l'Alliance-Française, 02-15-1968 Note(s): Sound production; Proix et Gasquet. Last performed on 30.3.1968.
Nationality of Author: French
Original Language: French
Publisher:
Avant-Scène Théâtre 405 / June 1968.
Stock 1979.
Actes Sud Papiers 1990. “Tomorrow, from any window”, New theatre of Europe, v. 4, no. 4, 1970.
Production Rights Holder:
Edition: Création
Experience(s) Chronicled: Allegoric or Metaphoric Representations | Concentration and Extermination Camps | The Ghettos
HTC Insights
Views, reference and research of interest.
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On September 30, 2024, French playwright, Mr. Jean Claude Grumberg received the Lifetime Achievement Award. It was presented by NJTF HTII President, Arnold Mittelman with Dominique Trimbur, PhD-Manager for the History of Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust, Teaching of the Holocaust of Fondation Pour La Memoir de la Shoah Project.
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