Édouard Louis to Perform Who Killed My Father at St. Ann's Warehouse

St. Ann's Warehouse will present the US premiere of Who Killed My Father (Qui a tué mon père), written and performed by Édouard Louis, in a production from Schaubühne Berlin and Théâtre de la Ville Paris. Performances start May 18 ahead of an official opening night on May 22. The production is slated to run through June 5.

The autobiographical play examines Louis's relationship with his father, whose booze-fueled homophobic violence made childhood very difficult for his gay son. "Throughout my entire childhood, I hoped you'd disappear," Louis addresses his father after he becomes seriously ill. "You can no longer get behind the wheel, are no longer allowed to drink, can no longer shower unaided without it presenting an enormous risk. You're just over fifty. You belong to the precise category of people for whom politics has envisaged a premature death." Louis sets out to rewrite the recent history of France as one of persistent neglect and humiliation of the working class on the part of the ruling elite.

Who Killed My Father is directed by Thomas Ostermeier, who also helmed Louis's History of Violence, which appeared at St. Ann's Warehouse in 2019. Ostermeier and Schaubühne Berlin have covered similar territory before, notably in 2018 with Didier Eribon's Returning to Reims.

Louis is the author of the acclaimed memoir The End of Eddy, which also had a stage adaptation that appeared at BAM in 2019.

The creative team includes Sébastien Dupouey and Marie Sanchez (video designers), Nina Wetzel (stage designer), Caroline Tavernier (costume designer), Erich Schneider (light designer), and Sylvain Jacques (composer).