Key Points
- Kate Winslet, Brian Cox, Lindsay Duncan, and Lennie James have joined the cast for the UK premiere of The Pelicot Trial.
- The four-hour performance will take place on 30 November 2026 at The Chamber in London County Hall.
- A 30-member cast of actors, activists, and public figures will read verbatim court transcripts, psychiatric reports, and testimony from the trial of Gisèle Pelicot.
- Director Milo Rau and Servane Dècle created the play alongside legal experts, sociologists, and journalists, with previous stagings in Vienna, New York, and Avignon.
- The Young Vic, Eleanor Lloyd Productions, and Rebecca Stafford Productions are presenting the London show, which will be livestreamed on YouTube.
London (Oxford Daily) November 4, 2026 – Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet has been confirmed to participate in a one-off performance of The Pelicot Trial, a documentary stage work examining the high-profile court case surrounding Gisèle Pelicot. As reported by arts correspondents across major British news outlets, Winslet joins a company of 30 performers and prominent public figures for the UK premiere at London County Hall on 30 November 2026.
Which high-profile figures are set to join the London cast?
As reported by arts journalist Stephi Wild of BroadwayWorld, the Newly expanded line-up features high-profile figures from stage, screen, and public life. Aside from Winslet, additional names announced include Emmy-winning actor Brian Cox, Olivier Award winner Lindsay Duncan, and actor Lennie James.
They will perform alongside previously announced cast members including Adjoa Andoh, Juliet Stevenson, Olivia Williams, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Rosie O’Donnell, Samuel West, Alfred Enoch, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Tamzin Outhwaite, and comedian Rosie Jones.
As reported by theatre correspondent Nicole Vassell of The Independent, the unique staging brings together an rotating international ensemble to deliver testimony, legal files, and psychiatric reports from the judicial proceedings held in France.
“It was the act of witnessing that really got me,” said Young Vic artistic director Nadia Fall of the show.
How is The Pelicot Trial being brought to the stage?
As reported by Theatre Weekly staff writers, The Pelicot Trial was developed by Swiss director Milo Rau and researcher Servane Dècle in collaboration with French journalists, legal professionals, and feminist organisations. The documentary theatre piece collates direct court transcripts, police reports, and psychiatric evaluations of the 51 men prosecuted in Avignon, France.
The performance lasts four hours and is constructed as an act of public bearing of witness. The production premiered at the Vienna Festival in June 2025 and has since toured through cities such as New York, Lisbon, Milan, Bergen, and Avignon, utilising a local cast of actors and cultural advocates in each country.
The UK staging is co-presented by the Young Vic Theatre, Eleanor Lloyd Productions, and Rebecca Stafford Productions, with support from the Olwyn Foundation for Women and Girls.
“Gisèle Pelicot chose to open the courtroom doors so the world could see the reality of sexual violence; bringing these verbatim records to the stage extends that public account,” stated director Milo Rau in official production documentation.
How can the public access the one-off performance?
As reported by London Theatre, the stage event will take place inside The Chamber at London County Hall on 30 November 2026. Tickets for the live event were placed on general release in October 2026.
To broaden access beyond the live auditorium, the Young Vic confirmed that the full four-hour performance will be livestreamed globally on the Young Vic’s official YouTube channel between 6:00 pm and 10:00 pm GMT on the night of the show.
Background of the particular development
The criminal trial that inspired the stage play centred on Gisèle Pelicot, a French woman whose husband, Dominique Pelicot, was discovered to have systematically drugged her over a decade and invited dozens of men to rape her while she was unconscious.
When the trial commenced in Avignon, France, in late 2024, Gisèle Pelicot waived her right to legal anonymity. Her insistence on open court proceedings transformed the trial into a pivotal moment in global conversations around sexual violence, consent, and societal complicity.
Fifty-one men were subsequently prosecuted, drawing widespread international media attention and sparking mass demonstrations in support of victims of domestic and sexual abuse across Europe.
Following the judicial outcome, director Milo Rau and researcher Servane Dècle converted the case transcripts into a verbatim theatre format designed to preserve the factual record of the courtroom.
Prediction: How this development can affect the legal and cultural landscape
This development is likely to exert a notable impact on the theatre industry, legal transparency advocates, and public discourse surrounding violence against women.
By engaging high-profile actors such as Kate Winslet and Brian Cox, the production guarantees heightened media attention, elevating verbatim documentary theatre into mainstream cultural focus.
The decision to broadcast the show free of charge via a global livestream expands access far beyond traditional theatre-going audiences, potentially setting a precedent for how major legal and humanitarian artistic projects are distributed worldwide.
For social policy campaigners and advocacy groups, the performance serves as a high-visibility platform to maintain public awareness around legal reform regarding sexual consent and court transparency. However, the presentation of verbatim criminal records and graphic testimony may also prompt ongoing debate regarding the ethics, responsibility, and emotional impact of adapting recent, high-profile trauma for performance art.
