Marion Siéfert's 'Bunker' at Avignon Festival: Ambitious Climate Drama Falls Flat

At the 2026 Festival d'Avignon, director Marion Siéfert presents 'Bunker,' a play co-written with Matthieu Bareyre, running from July 19 to 25 at La FabricA. Set in a near future where global temperatures have risen by +5°C, the story follows an oil magnate who retreats to a luxury bunker with his fractured family, including a silent daughter, a cruel mother, and a neurosurgeon who implants a device to enhance him. The machine eventually turns against him, causing him to lose language. Despite strong performances by Charles-Henri Wolff (the megalomaniac CEO), Janice Bieleu (the daughter), Lorenzo Lefebvre (the neurosurgeon), and Monica Budde (the mother), the production is criticized for its slow pacing, lack of dramatic tension, and failure to fully realize its setting. The abstract scenography does not convey the claustrophobia of the bunker, and the narrative repeats itself without deepening the themes of climate collapse and privilege. Siéfert, known for tackling contemporary fractures, here prioritizes concept over embodiment, leaving the audience impressed by the intention but unmoved by the theater. The play evokes comparisons to real-world ultra-rich figures like Elon Musk but lacks the human depth needed to make its urgent subject resonate.