Performing Arts

Part of the trilogy Rescoldos de Paz, this theatre play portrays a victim-offender mediation in prison in the context of the terrorism in the Basque country, starting from the request by a group of prisoners of ETA (the separatist group Euskadi Ta Askatasuna) until the preparation phase of both parties and their actual face-to-face meeting. The trilogy is the result of 10 years research by María San Miguel (2009-2019), collecting more voices into a story. Years later, the film Maixabel, directed by Icíar Bollaín (2021), was released focusing on a specific restorative justice encounter in the Basque Country.

Language: Spanish. Subtitles: English & French
#theatre #terrorism #mediation #armedconflict #politicalviolence #truestory

Previous EFRJ engagements: seminar Bilbao 2019, REstART 2020 and REstART 2025.

This experimental art project looks for the meaning of reparation in the aftermath of sexual violence, navigating with humour through the many questions which may ultimately lead back to joy. The play includes a sort of "family constellation" preparing the victim to meet face-to-face with the man who raped her. The case was never reported to the police, as often happens in cased of gender-based violence.

Language: French.
#experimentaltheatre #sexualviolence #autobiographical #mediation #truestory #autobiographical 

Future EFRJ engagements: Luce Goutelle at the conference Poznań 2026.

This theatre play is based on the autobiographical book "Right from Wrong: My Story of Guilt and Redemption" (Jacob Dunne, 2022). On a Saturday night out with friends, Jacob, a teenager from Nottingam, threw the punch that killed James, a young man he didn’t even know. Jacob went to prison for manslaughter, and James’s parents, Joan and David, reached out through a restorative justice service to meet the man who killed their son. 

Language: English. 
#theatre #murder #truestory 

Future EFRJ engagements: Jacob Dunne at the conference Poznań 2026.

Kenneth Berth is a Belgian radio, documentary and theatre creator. In this immersive play, Kenneth draws on a deeply personal experience. After being struck by a car in Paris and left unable to walk for six months, he channels his journey of recovery and introspection into a staged encounter with the driver who hit him. Through this imagined meeting, Piéton becomes more than just a retelling of an accident: it is an exploration of empathy, accountability, and the blurred lines between victim and perpetrator. 

Language: Dutch. Subtitles: Dutch, French, English
#theatre #roadaccident #trafficoffense #truestory #autobiographical 

Previous EFRJ engagements: REstART 2025.

Based on true events, Stronger tells the gripping story of Jan, a teacher raped by her student. As she journeys through the legal system, her life is in danger of falling apart but, through restorative justice, Jan finds the strength to meet with her attacker and a process of healing begins.

Language: English. 
#theatre #sexualviolence #truestory

Previous EFRJ engagements: REstART 2020.

Zahy Vera is a dancer and therapist born in La Habana (Cuba) and currently living in Madrid (Spain). Combining her passion for dance, theater, and music, this autobiographical work tells the story of a little girl who survives the consequences of childhood sexual abuse and who, once she becomes a woman, faces her suffering to heal the wound of her lost childhood and to live with dignity. Zahy has experienced restorative justice by entering into a dialogue with different men responsible of incest. 

Language: Spanish.
#autobiographical #theatre #dance #sexualviolence #incest #childabuse #truestory

Previous EFRJ engagements: REstART 2023. 

A Conversation is a film based on an Australian theatre performance telling the stories of two families who met in the presence of a facilitator, the parents of a young woman who was raped and murdered and the family of the offender. The European adaptation of the play has been performed and filmed by the Norwegian amateur group No Theatre. The film is tribute to their director Peter Harris, who passed away few months before the launch of the film.

Language of film: English. Subtitles: available in 14 languages. 
#theatre #film #sexualviolence #homicide #restorativeconferencing

Previous EFRJ engagements: RJ Week 2017 and REstART 2020.

This play explores the role of nature as victim of environmental harm and how the justice system should answer to the needs of those without legal "personhood". The audience is invited to reflect on the potential of restorative dialogue, so that nature and humans can find a collective language, intersectionality and restoration. The final act of this participatory theatre includes a restorative agreeement between the audience and nature. 

Language: English.
#experimentaltheatre #environmentalharm #environmentalRJ #participatorytheatre

Previous EFRJ engagements: REstART 2020