Synopsis

Sunderland. A small English town on the North Sea. Since the death of their mother, Sally has been looking after Jill, her little sister, with the help of Ruby, her extravagant flatmate. Recently fired from the local chicken factory, the young woman will do anything to retain custody of her younger sister. Flipping through the pages of a magazine, she comes across an advertisement for surrogate mothers. Resolute and determined, Sally enters into an agreement with a young London couple that will be decisive for her future, even if it means upsetting the morals of some and facing the gaze of those closest to her.

Trailer for the play

The Play

First presented at the Petit Théâtre de Paris in 2011, directed by Stéphane Hillel, his second play “Sunderland”, winner of the Beaumarchais grant, was a great success. The play, unanimously acclaimed by audiences and critics alike, starred Vincent Deniard, Elodie Navarre, Léopoldine Serre, Thierry Desroses, Constance Dolle, Vincent Nemeth and Pascale Mariani. The play continued on a national tour, before being adapted for film by Charlotte de Turckheim in 2015 under the title “Qui c’est les plus forts?”(Wildbunch, Canal+, Ciné A). Heir to the work of Ken Loach and Lee Hall (Billy Elliot), “Sunderland” is an English-style social comedy, where drama, laughter and, of course, soccer intermingle. Without ever lapsing into miserabilism or despair, it is, on the contrary, a hymn to joy and freedom. This title is also published by Editions de l’Avant-Scène.