The liberation and resistance of two women challenging the patriarchal system, a new form of multimedia opera

Based on the novel by an Egyptian feminist writer, the struggles and voices of solidarity of women from Middle East, Europe and South Africa, are reborn as a new multimeda opera never seen before

Woman at Point Zero is an opera by LOD music theatre inspired by the novel by Egyptian writer and feminist Nawal El Saadawi. A multimedia opera that broke away from the already existing opera genre, reborn in a new creative way, premiered in Festival d’Aix en Provence(2022), one of the largest opera festival in France.
While many women around the world are questioning patriarchal systems, the operatic universe must also confront the abuses of power inherent in its own structure and reinvent itself. The questions of, ‘what is woman?’, ‘what does it mean to be freed?’ were reflected from the creation and production process of this work. The creative work brought together women from countries with heterogeneous situations, between the Middle East, Europe and South Africa. This diversity testifies above all of the universality of the struggle and the strength of solidarity. Like a tapestry of female voices, far from traditional patterns, the opera takes on a plural form in the image of the creators: several visions come together in this production. Multimedia which wishes to reactivate the power of opera and make it the voice of a new wave of feminism without borders.

The opera tells the story of two women: Fatma, who is a self-made feminist and activist imprisoned for man-slaughter and Sama, a young ambitious documentary filmmaker who wants to tell Fatma’s story. Fatma describes to Sama how she searches for freedom from the vicious cycle of violence that controls her life. As their relationship unfolds over the course of one day, they share their memories, experiences and secrets - moving from distrust to curiosity and solidarity and finally friendship.
At the origin of Stacy Hardy’s libretto is a novel by Nawal El Saadawi (1931-2021), writer and researcher, herself imprisoned for her critical writings on the situation of women and often considered the Egyptian Simone de Beauvoir. In 1975, the author tells the true story of Ferdaous and describes the vicious circle of abusive male relationships of which the latter is a victim and which lead her to crime. Stacy Hardy brings her own experiences from South Africa and a contemporary perspective that makes of this story of exploitation a reinterpretation more than an adaptation: Ferdaous becomes Fatma and Nawal, Sama, a director. This turns it into a story about resilience, freedom, and also the birth of a friendship between the two women.