Original French title: Dernier flash infos d'Azerbalistan. Genre: Contemporary satire. Cast: 7/9 roles: 5 M and 2 F. Two male roles can be filmed and simply projected on screen, or even played by two of the five male actors. Estimated running time: 1 hr 30, no intermission. Set: Multiple and minimalist. The play takes place in three locations: Dr Rostach’s office and two hotel rooms. The use of video screen(s) is highly likely, though not mandatory.
Ratings-chasing in a war zone
In the chaos of an Azerbalistani capital ravaged by civil war, two teams of journalists from rival channels (CQQ News and ZFM) embark on an infiltration mission. Their goal: to uncover the most “bloody” scoop possible about child trafficking. The search for truth is quickly sacrificed to an escalating competition that borders on delirium. The play is a fast-paced comedy. Its most burlesque humor highlights the drift of news media, exposing how journalistic ethics and the reality on the ground are pulverized by profitability imperatives and the reign of “post-truth”.
Based on real events, this text aims to provoke laughter that freezes in the face of the total ethical collapse of two news media outlets. Here, the humor of the absurd gives the critique its full force.
The text’s potential: Increasing the presence of the war soundtrack, enveloping the action, further turns the actors into puppets blinded by their Western egocentrism and their indifference to the problems of the developing world.
The two faces of the play: The director may calibrate, according to taste, two elements: the delirious comedy (the escalation of scoops, the monstrous cynicism of the editors-in-chief) or the dramatic tension (the war environment, Joseph and Émeline’s awakening). The goal is that after the liberating laughter... deeper questions may then arise.