The Young Vic has announced the full company of readers for the UK premiere of The Pelicot Trial, the acclaimed documentary theatre work by Milo Rau and Servane Dècle, which will be presented as a special one-night event at London County Hall on 30 November 2026.
Presented across four and a half hours in The Chamber at London County Hall, the production explores the landmark Gisèle Pelicot case and its wider implications for society’s understanding of sexual violence, justice and accountability.
The sold-out performance will be livestreamed free worldwide via the Young Vic YouTube channel between 6pm and 10.30pm on 30 November, allowing audiences around the world to experience the production.
Newly announced participants include Brian Cox, Lindsay Duncan, Misan Harriman, Suzy Eddie Izzard, Lennie James, Baroness Helena Kennedy, George MacKay, Tobias Menzies, Ambika Mod, John Simm, Indira Varma, Ellie Wilson, Kate Winslet and Harriet Wistrich. The performance will also feature countertenor Hugh Cutting.
They join previously announced readers Adjoa Andoh, Nicole Ansari-Cox, Lorraine Ashbourne, Leo Bill, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Alfred Enoch, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Rosie Jones, Kadiff Kirwan, Rosie O’Donnell, Tamzin Outhwaite, Jordan Stephens, Juliet Stevenson, Samuel West and Olivia Williams.
Drawing on testimony, police files, social commentary and psychiatric reports from the trial, The Pelicot Trial examines one of the most widely discussed legal cases of recent years and the impact of Gisèle Pelicot’s decision to waive her anonymity.
The production was developed in collaboration with journalists, anthropologists and feminist organisations in France, and has previously been performed in cities including Vienna, Avignon, New York, Lisbon, Milan and Bergen, with a different company assembled for each presentation.
Through the phrase, “Shame has to change sides.”, Gisèle Pelicot became a symbol of resilience and a catalyst for international conversations around sexual violence.
The Vienna Festival (Wiener Festwochen) | Free Republic of Vienna production of The Pelicot Trial is presented by the Young Vic, Eleanor Lloyd Productions and Rebecca Stafford Productions. Support for audience members on the night will be provided by Rape Crisis and Centre for Women’s Justice, which also serve as the production’s charity partners.
The work received its world premiere at the Vienna Festival on 18 June 2025.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
