L’Incandescente and the Gang of Blood-Spitting Girls

At SALLE DES FRANCISCAINS in Nice, Louise Chevillotte makes her directorial debut with a stage adaptation inspired by Claudie Hunzinger’s novel, Robin Hunzinger’s documentary, and the personal letters of Marcelle B. The play follows the intense friendship and correspondence between Emma and Marcelle, two young women in early 20th-century France. After Marcelle is diagnosed with tuberculosis and sent to a sanatorium, she meets three other spirited girls, forming the notorious “Gang of Blood-Spitting Girls.” Through the voices of four actresses, the production explores themes of desire, illness, freedom, and the defiant choice to embrace life and love in the face of mortality. Set in the 1920s, the story challenges conventional images of young women from that era, revealing their complexity and boldness.