Accused.e is a play written by Clémence Baron (author of the play Fallacia), directed by Clément Baal and Lucas Biscombe. Performances will resume at the Théo Théâtre as soon as the health situation allows.
Live from a trial for rape of a minor
During the performance of Accused, the scene is transformed into a criminal court. What is at stake before our eyes is the trial of Gaspard Valeur, played by Alexis Hubert. This son of a good family is accused of raping Louise Leduc (Clémence Baron), then 17 years old, after drugging her. Five years after the fact, Louise Leduc was questioned again in order to justify herself and tell her version of the facts. Gaspard Valeur can present the defense he was able to build during these five years. In the end, it is more the life of Louise Leduc that is dissected at the trial, going as far as the testimony of her mother (played by Mathilde Toubeau), rather than that of the accused. The trial is punctuated by the interventions of the Advocate General (Brieuc Dumont), the President (Romane Savoie) and the mysterious Adam (Colin Doucet) who addresses Louise Leduc when she finds herself alone. The members of the public camp the jurors of assize and are taken to task throughout the performance. 
Exposing an inhumane justice system
The play is intended to be a source of reflection in the minds of the public about the defects of justice and the human consequences that flow from them. Accused.e denounces through the mouths of its characters the slowness and injustices of a system that crushes humanity. The realistic austerity of the staging makes it possible to highlight the harshness of the elements denounced. Beyond the judicial slowness and violence of the interrogation of the minor victim at the time of the facts, the question of correctionalization is also addressed. This is the reclassification of the crime as a misdemeanour, rape becoming a sexual assault without penetration, an extremely frequent reclassification in order to avoid the cumbersome nature of a criminal trial. There is also the painful question of eligibility for rape, the credibility of the victim according to his behavior or appearance. The most striking denunciation remains that of acquittal with the benefit of the doubt, reasons why an accused may not be convicted despite doubts about his guilt. 
An ode to the courage of victims
Creating a contrast with the difficulty of the trial, Accused.e highlights the courage with which Louise Leduc faces this ordeal. The play recalls the courage needed first of all to file a complaint against the perpetrator, but also the courage it takes to survive until the end of the trial and then to rebuild oneself (difficult reconstruction that was addressed by Andréa Bescond in her only stage Les chatouilles). In France, about 10% of victims of sexual violence file complaints, and of these complaints only 10% end up in a trial before the Assize Court. The filing of rape complaints is an extremely difficult process and one that is even more difficult for the judicial system. The courage to take such a step is praised by the piece. Accused recalls that the victim remains alone in this ordeal, even if he is surrounded, but that it is important to continue to fight to finally be able to live again. Because whatever the outcome of the trial, life awaits at the end of it. 
The message of Accused is very beautiful and very important: To the victims, continue to fight to be able to live and no longer survive. To all, fight to make justice fairer and that filing a complaint of rape is no longer an obstacle course.
