Noire, the Unknown Life of Claudette Colvin makes its Irish Debut as part of Beta, Ireland’s Festival of Technology and Arts

Samuel Beckett Theatre, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2 Thursday, 7th November 2024 – Sunday, 10th November 2024 Daily Showings from 12pm – 7pm

Noire, the Unknown Life of Claudette Colvin, uses an innovative immersive performance to bring to life the story of the 15-year-old who refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in a segregated 1950s Alabama in a near-mirror event to that of Rosa Parks.

Through virtual reality, viewers can embody the experience endured by Claudette Colvin, from the moment she left school on March 2, 1955 to when she resisted multiple demands to give up a bus seat to a white passenger solely because of her skin colour.

Despite threats from the armed driver, other white passengers and even some black passengers, Claudette remained seated. After being arrested and put in jail, she decided to plead not guilty. No one had ever dared to do this before. And yet, no one remembers her name.

Nine months later, Rosa Parks, a seamstress, took the same stand as Claudette and everything changed. Soon supported by Martin Luther King, Parks became a hero and the spark that ignited the civil rights movement.

Claudette Colvin made it all possible, but she was the one who was forgotten. She still lives in the United States today and is 81 years old.

Directed by Stéphane Foenkinos and Pierre-Alain Giraud and based on the work by Tania de Montaigne, Noire is brought to Ireland for its debut by the Beta Festival and The Digital Hub, in association with the French Embassy and Institut Francais and with support by Smart Dublin.

To purchase tickets for Noire, visit: Beta Festival Noire

Beta is Ireland’s festival of technology and art, aimed at critically engaging with the impact of emerging technologies on society. Following a successful first year which saw nearly 2,000 attendees over its launch weekend, Beta returns from Friday 1st November to Sunday 17th November where it will explore technology’s relationship with power through cultivating exhibitions and installations, workshops, performances and conferences.

To find out more information about Beta Festival, visit: https://2024.betafestival.ie/