One-man show
Axel Auriant's novel Rue de la Gaîté (2025) follows the development of a young man named Baptiste, who finds in the world of theater not only a professional calling, but above all a vehicle for coping with his childhood traumas and re-evaluating his self. The novel interweaves the protagonist's inner struggles with his external experiences at the Cours Florent and the Théâtre Montparnasse.
Baptiste is a young man plagued by deep anxiety and recurring nausea, especially in unfamiliar situations. These anxiety symptoms are inextricably linked to his traumatic childhood, which he describes as a "minefield." His mother, whom he consistently refers to as "she" or "the monster," physically and emotionally abused him. The philosophy he briefly studied offered him no real escape.
The decisive turning point in Baptiste's life occurs with his enrollment at the Cours Florent, a prestigious drama school. Here, in the "Daniel Auteuil" class, he begins his exploration of the theater. He takes a job as an "ouvreur" (used hand) at the Théâtre Montparnasse, arranged by his new friend Marvin, for whom he feels a complex attraction. In this new environment, he encounters a number of formative characters: the strict but well-meaning director Madeleine, the cynical colleague Sophie, the friendly Colette, and last but not least, the celebrated actor Marcel André.
Baptiste begins psychotherapy, in which he works through his repressed traumatic memories of his mother, particularly the disturbing experience of the "cuddle sandwich." Simultaneously, theater exercises challenge him to express himself and channel his emotions. A central figure becomes Marcel André, who takes him under his wing and prepares him for the challenging "Classe libre" competition. This mentorship is of particular significance, as it turns out that Marcel and Baptiste's late grandfather, who had ignited Baptiste's passion for theater, were not only friends in their youth but also had a secret romantic relationship and shared dreams of the stage. This revelation inextricably links Baptiste's personal aspirations with a repressed family legacy.
The novel continues to explore Baptiste's complicated relationship with Marvin, marked by attraction, misunderstandings, and betrayal. Marvin's manipulative side, later revealed by Colette, leads to his dismissal from the theater, which paradoxically liberates Baptiste. While both Baptiste and Marvin ultimately fail in the "Classe libre" competition, Marvin's apology and his decision to seek therapy represent a positive development. Baptiste's own text, based on his childhood experiences, is sent by Marvin to producers and becomes a "Seul en scène" (one-man show) titled "Rue de la Gaîté."
Axel Auriant (born 1998) is known in France primarily as an actor, especially for his leading role as Lucas Lallemant in the successful TV series Skam FranceIn this role, he became known to a wide audience and gained great popularity, as the series, especially with its third season, became one of the most-watched online formats in France.Furthermore, he has also made a name for himself as a theatre actor and was awarded the Étoile du Parisien prize in 2018 for the play A tailor-made life awarded.
Childhood and Theatre
Stage of Catharsis
Baptiste experienced his childhood as a time of constant fear and abuse at the hands of his mother, whom he describes with terrifying metaphors like "volcano" or "monster." These experiences manifested in physical symptoms such as frequent vomiting and a deep fear of intimacy and loss of control. From childhood, the theater offered him an escape and a space for "indescribable joy." There, he could invent stories and take on the role of "dramaturg," which gave him a feeling of "absolute freedom."
The transition to acting at the Cours Florent and the accompanying psychotherapy are crucial to his recovery. His psychologist, Marie-Christine, encourages him to express his hidden emotions through theater and to tell his own story. Exercises like the "carte blanche," in which he has to present his own (fictional) life story, force him to confront his inner self. The stage thus becomes a safe space where he can carry his "fears of the night" into the day and transform them. Marcel André reinforces this process by teaching Baptiste to integrate his real emotions—even his resentment toward Marvin—into his acting. This process of "playing with himself" allows Baptiste to control and understand his feelings instead of being overwhelmed by them. Theater is therefore not just a place of performance, but a therapeutic framework that allows the protagonist to free himself from the burdens of his childhood and redefine himself.
Beyond social masks: A counter-world to the staging of everyday life
In his daily life, Baptiste hides behind various masks and lies. He smokes in secret, forges medical certificates to prove his height, uses tissues as shoe soles to appear taller, and invents excuses to conceal his financial difficulties. His insecurity and fear of rejection lead him to dissemble in relationships and try to "stimulate love" by adapting to his partners' interests.
In stark contrast is the world of theater, which paradoxically demands true authenticity. Estelle, his teacher, emphasizes the importance of acting "in the moment, with one's own feelings. Never against them." Marcel André reinforces this by encouraging Baptiste to play not "well or correctly, but as himself." Even the exercise of telling true and false stories serves to sharpen awareness of one's own inner truth. The "Ouvreurs'" experience in the theater shows how Marcel André, despite his drunken state, delivers a flawless performance that maintains the "magic of the theater" and conceals the truth behind the facade. This contrasts with Sophie, who displays her "sincerity" in public but, in private, "turns her jacket inside out" and is capable of "hatred."
Through these experiences, Baptiste learns that true art lies not in perfection, but in the ability to bring raw emotions and personal truths to the stage. His panic during the announcement to the audience and his subsequent rediscovery of his voice in the EMDR session, which he incorporates into his Cyrano performance, exemplify this. At the end of the novel, he is able to confront his mother with the power of silence he learned from Marcel, symbolizing his inner liberation and the shedding of his false masks. The theater becomes the place where he feels "nakedly dressed," a state of vulnerable authenticity.
Reclaiming childhood dreams
Baptiste carries the theater within him as a legacy left to him by his grandfather. His grandfather himself dreamed of being Cyrano, but his dream was violently shattered when his parents sent him to boarding school. The old costumes under his grandfather's bed and the shared "pestacles" were Baptiste's first encounters with the stage. His grandfather's theater books are "the gold of the world" to Baptiste, and his admiration for Marcel André, his grandfather's favorite actor, connects the generations.
Initially, Baptiste had buried this dream, believing that "dreams are sometimes too big costumes," a metaphor for the burden of an unfulfilled legacy and the reality of his difficult life circumstances. But the Cours Florent reeks of "rediscovered freedom," a return to "the path of our dreams." The turning point is the mentorship of Marcel André, which turns out to be a deeper connection: Marcel was his grandfather's lover and played Christian with him in "Cyrano." Because of this relationship, the grandfather was banished from the house by his parents and forced to abandon his love and his dream.
Marcel André becomes a kind of surrogate grandfather to Baptiste, restoring his confidence in his abilities and revealing his grandfather's legacy. Marcel gives him his grandfather's Cyrano costume and teaches him the "intangible" aspects of theater that transcend mere technique. Discovering the shared history of Marcel and his grandfather makes Baptiste's theatrical journey a twofold fulfillment: he not only lives his own dream but also his grandfather's unfulfilled dream, thus healing an old family wound. The theater becomes a place of remembrance, connection, and the passing on of a nearly lost legacy.
The stage as a space of liberation
The epilogue of Rue de la Gaîté This marks the culmination of Baptiste's transformation. After failing in the "Classe libre" competition, which he accepts with newfound maturity ("The result is unimportant to me at this moment. What's essential lies elsewhere."), the true success of his journey is revealed: Marvin has sent his text about his mother to producers, and it is now being performed as "Seul en scène" under the title "Rue de la Gaîté." This moment is the ultimate manifestation of his healing: his deepest, most personal, and most painful experiences are transformed into public art.
The premiere is replete with symbolic encounters. His father, who for the first time accepts his cigarette ("I'm an adult now."), and the loving glance exchanged between them signal a new level of mutual acceptance and understanding. The presence of Marie-Christine, his psychologist, underscores the therapeutic dimension of his work. Above all, however, it is the final confrontation with his mother ("elle") in front of the theater that seals Baptiste's liberation. Her empty threat ("If you keep saying I was violent, you'll hear from me.") bounces off his newfound strength: "I'm not afraid of you anymore. I know how to defend myself now." By meeting her with the "silent killer's stare" he learned from Marcel and finally addressing her as "Mama" for the first time, without fear or resentment, he acknowledges the reality of his past and emotionally detaches himself from it.
The novel concludes with Baptiste's realization that he has spoken the word "Mama" for the first time and that it feels good. "Calling her means accepting that all of this existed. I am now ready to move on." Herein lies the novel's deeper, forward-looking message: that the theater is not only a site for the transformation of individual suffering, but also a means of transforming this private trauma into a universal narrative.
The title of the piece, Rue de la Gaîté (Street of Serenity) contains both irony and hope. The street, described in the novel as a place of "sex and spectacle," becomes a metaphor for the stage of life, where Baptiste transforms his dark experiences into light. It is a street that represents both "tension" and "ecstasy." By making his personal story of suffering public, Baptiste not only overcomes his own shame and fear but also creates a space of collective empathy and recognition. The one-man show becomes an act of self-appropriation, in which the victim role is shed and the role of narrator and shaper of one's own destiny is embraced. It is the final gesture that breaks the cycle of silence and shows that true serenity and inner joy lie not in repression but in the courageous confrontation with one's own truth. The theater, which once served as Baptiste's escape route, is now the place where he liberates himself and shares his story as a testament to resilience and transformation through art. This is the birth of a new narrative—not just for Baptiste.
This article is written in German and can be found at https://rentree.de. Automatic translations into English and French are available. English, French.
