Refugee-Themed Play Pulled from French Theatre Program After Far-Right Mayor Takes Office

The cast of Passport at the Renaissance Theatre, Paris in 2024(Photo by Alejandro Guerrero)

by Chris Peterson

A planned performance of Alexis Michalik’s Passeport has been pulled from the cultural program in Castres, France, after the city’s newly elected far-right mayor took issue with the play’s subject matter.

The production had been scheduled to play at the municipal theatre in February 2027. But after Florian Azéma, a member of France’s National Rally party, became mayor of Castres, the performance was removed from the season.

Passeport premiered at Théâtre de la Renaissance in Paris in January 2024. The play follows Issa, a young Eritrean man who is found badly injured in the former Calais migrant camp known as “the Jungle.” After losing his memory, Issa is left with only his passport as a clue to who he is. The story follows him as he tries to obtain legal status in France and rebuild some sense of identity.

The play also includes characters from India, Syria, and France, and moves through hospitals, temporary shelters, work spaces, and the French asylum system. In other words, it is very much a play about migration, displacement, and how people are treated once they arrive in a new country.

That appears to be what caused the problem in Castres.

Florian Azéma

Azéma defended the decision by saying public money should be spent appropriately and that the show did not reflect what he had campaigned on.

According to reports, he also criticized the play as promoting undocumented migrants and objected to its portrayal of law enforcement.

The cancellation has drawn criticism from Michalik and others in the French cultural world, who have described the move as politically motivated. Michalik said the production had already been programmed and included in the theatre season before being removed after the change in local leadership.

The situation has also attracted attention because Passeport is not a brand-new or little-known play. Since premiering in Paris, it has continued to play at Théâtre de la Renaissance and has appeared in other listings around France and French-speaking venues. The production also received a 2024 Molière Award nomination for Kevin Razy in the supporting actor category.

France’s culture minister criticized the cancellation as well, warning against removing work from public stages simply because its subject matter does not align with a local official’s politics.

There have already been efforts to get the production staged elsewhere following the Castres cancellation, with other local officials reportedly expressing interest in presenting it.

Michalik is one of France’s best-known contemporary playwrights and directors, with credits including Edmond, Le Porteur d’Histoire, Le Cercle des illusionnistes, Intra Muros, and Une histoire d’amour.

The cancellation has added to a larger conversation about public arts funding, political influence over cultural programming, and how much control elected officials should have over what appears on publicly supported stages.