The singer suddenly falls silent and loses the ability to move - she can no longer sing. An unspoken secret smoulders inside her. But she is not alone - Edith Piaf, determined and unyielding, bursts into her room, determined to pull her out of her bed and bring her back to life.

The unlikely pair - a duo full of tenderness and solidarity - embark on a magnificent but fragile journey of pain and triumph, rivalry and compassion. But the only way to move forward is to go back. To dare to touch the truth and reveal it. To tell the story of survival through art - in the most physical way. To look again at the demons that still lurk - both outside and inside - until a new, undeniable voice is born.

This one-woman show interweaves puppetry, object theatre and singing in an innovative and masterful exploration of the consequences of violence perpetrated by those in positions of power. The performance reveals how survivors wander in the distorted reality of police investigations, the media and the legal system, which is not only repeatedly traumatising but also silencing.

With warmth and humour, the work tells the story of an unprecedented struggle - the effort to preserve and rebuild one's life and voice through art, drawing on the inspiring power of a legendary singer. Memories of trauma and injustice are woven into the awakening of the soul - through music, human connection and, above all, love.

A personal word from the director

In creating this performance, I decided to do what I have always done in art and in life - to turn personal pain, trauma, fear, loss and injustice into art that touches others. To tell this story in a way that every viewer can recognise a part of themselves and realise that they are not alone. I wanted to draw attention to these themes and encourage dialogue.

It is also a true story about how Edith Piaf saved my life.

"Edith and Me is the third part of a trilogy that I have been working on for fifteen years on violence against women and children. In this final chapter, I am finally able to give a leading role to the most important stage of the journey - healing.

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Yael Rasooly is a director, puppeteer and singer who has performed her original plays in more than 30 countries, in hundreds of theatres and at festivals around the world. She has collaborated with some of the most renowned theatre companies such as La Machine Nantes, The Forman Brothers (Prague). Yael is the winner of the Grand Prize of the New York Fringe Festival, the UNIMA Honorary Diploma and numerous prestigious international awards in the field of visual theatre. Her work has received widespread critical acclaim, including French Télérama and The New York Times.

She is an active teacher and advocate of art as a tool for change, and has been a visiting professor at leading academic institutions such as UQAM, NYU, ESNAM, Trinity College, UCONN, Eugene O'Neill Theater Center and others.

The performance is presented in association with the International Puppet Theatre Festival “Materia magica”.