Les jeunes filles du Bon Pasteur

The need to break the silence and tell the stories of the victims of the Congregation of the Good Shepherd. Until the late 1980s, thousands of young girls—deemed deviant or wayward in the eyes of a hypocritical patriarchal society—found themselves locked up overnight in this religious institution, with no idea when they would be allowed to leave. Under the guise of “re-education,” their childhoods and adolescence were marked by corporal punishment, forced labor, and collective humiliation. How could such violence have been inflicted by women upon other women? Drawing on the testimonies of former residents—women of extraordinary strength of character—Margaux Eskenazi weaves a powerful fictional narrative: the story of Marthe, sent to Le Bon Pasteur at age 15 on the evening of her father’s second wedding. Following its outdoor premiere at the Nouveau Théâtre Populaire, the production will be reimagined as an immersive musical, enhanced by the voices of its heroines. Fifty years later, Marie-Christine and Éveline are more determined than ever to seek justice.