Caroline Nguyen will speak about the making of Saigon, her production that has been shown at the Avignon Festival, travelled across the world, brought her several prestigious awards and international acclaim as one of Europe’s most promising directors. Saigon is a special work for Nguyen — a daughter of Vietnamese migrants in France who were banned from returning to their homeland — and is partially based on her own experience, as well as on the experiences of other migrants. She will speak about her experience of working with non-professional actors and about the reception of her production in France, Europe, and Vietnam, where she saw a special energy developed between the stage and the audience. She will also speak about her other productions, her company Les Hommes Approximatifs, her collaborations with Joël Pommerat at Maison Centrale prison in Arles and her future projects.
Caroline Guiela Nguyen is a young French director and playwright. She studied directing at the school of the Théâtre national de Strasbourg and in 2009 founded her theatre company Les Hommes Approximatifs. After adapting a few classics, they started making productions focused on contemporary social issues. Nguyen has staged about 10 performances on the biggest stages in France and received several theatre awards. She is associated with the Odéon-Théâtre de l'Europe, with the MC2: Grenoble, and is part of the artistic collective of the Comédie de Valence.