William Sham

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William Sham

Preferred pronouns:

he/him
Birth year:

1994
Primarily based in or works from:

Congo, the Democratic Republic of the
Skills:

theater playwright directing of a stage play mentoring photography
Topics:

human rights immigration women's rights sexuality
Contact information:

Currently working on:

« NE T'ÉTONNE PAS SI MA LETTRE SENT LE SEL » is a play about migration written by Jocelyn Danga, originally from the DRC. It describes the journey of a young migrant who leaves his country to try a new life in Europe.

Quick Facts:

My field is contemporary theater. My aim is to engage people, to stimulate reflection and questioning about their actions in their context. Beyond that, I create to communicate, disturb and entertain, but also because we have a story to tell, emotions to share, a world to educate and people to mobilize.

My practice is influenced by my environment: current events, the daily lives of people in my region, their courage and resilience. Street life is a source of inspiration, simply because it doesn't limit anyone or stigmatize any social class. This is what has driven me, over the past three years, to take my theater to the streets and make it accessible to a wide and diverse audience.

My artistic approach is based on the physicality of theater. It's a theater that allows everyone to come together, regardless of the languages that separate us, especially in my country where there are over 400 languages. I see the body as a human communicator, which enables me to create theater for and by the people. My approach is to seek out and adapt the text to the body that carries it: to dress the text with the body.

Three relevant works from the last 5 years of artistic practice:

LES BIJOUX, a show written by Toussaint Carilien and directed by William Sham bringing together artists from Haiti, Bujumbura, Lubumbashi, Bukavu and Goma, Attaquants Théâtre, Goma, 2022
VARIATIONS, a show written by Hermine Yollo and directed by William Sham, Kinshasa 2019/2021, Cameroon-DRC-Belgium collaboration.
URGENCE, Theater Workshop for 16 emerging artists from Bukavu conducted by William Sham in collaboration with the French Institute of Bukavu.

Highest educational degree:

Bachelor's degree in Electromechanics at ISTA, Goma.

Work samples:

BARUA

In Barua — which means "letter" in French — Katherine shares her tragic, less-than-glorious, and at times absurd story in a series of unanswered letters to the presidency. When her words receive no response, she finds the strength to become a living testament to her pain and speaks out on her own terms.

She recounts the sudden destruction of her village by mysterious “wingless angels,” the murder of her father for simply defending his inheritance, and the loss of her husband, who gave up his life in pursuit of a happiness he never reclaimed — leaving Katherine alone and pregnant. After giving birth, her child fell ill and died in her arms, despite her sacrificing her own body in a desperate attempt to save it with a futile remedy.

Yet through it all, Katherine refuses to be broken. She gathers her resolve and chooses to stand alone before the presidential palace, determined to make her voice heard.

BARUA

VARIATIONS EN COLERE MAJEURE POUR CITOYENNE REVOLTEE

Translated into English, the play is entitled: ANGRY VARIATIONS FOR REVOLTED CITIZENS. The show is a call to courage to all women affected by war, whether directly or indirectly, to denounce, accuse and, if necessary, revolt against their tormentors. More than a play, it speaks for those whose voices have been silenced, and proves that women can do it. It's a little light in the darkness of a world that continues to ignore the place of women. Premiere: 2019 / 2021, Kinshasa Production: Tarmac des Auteurs de Kinshasa Text: Hermine Yollo Director and project manager: William Sham Weteshe (DRC) Dramaturgy: Olivier Coyette (Belgium) Performance: Cynthia Marifa (DRC) Lighting design: Angel Konongo Cléo (Brazzaville) With the support of : Institut Français de Kinshasa, AFRICALIA, WBI

URGENCE

In this workshop, participants explore excerpts from texts by renowned authors such as Dieudonné Niangouna, Aristide Tarnagda, Jean-Marie Piemme, and Étienne Minoungou. The URGENCE workshop focuses on practical training in voice and body work on stage, as well as actor direction — including active listening, deep text analysis, and a collaborative approach to theater that honors the uniqueness of each participant.

The workshop delves into contemporary theater as a whole, examining its definitions, currents, and aesthetics. Participants will learn to align their bodies and minds with a text or role, developing an original interpretation rooted in their own political, emotional, and artistic perspective.

This process of exploration and self-positioning forms the core of our artistic approach.

PATATI PATATA

The show is a monologue featuring two actors. Breathless, they wonder about their future and refuse to remain silent in the face of injustice and contradiction. Using a metaphorical approach to the colonial gaze, traditions and religion, and through the prism of socio-political life in the DRC, this play calls into question existing power structures and demands for greater humanity and responsibility. The play depicts the ills that afflict Congolese society in various forms. It crosses formal and informal pronouns and builds a bridge between them. It deals with the suffering that afflicts the informal “you” when the formal “you” of politeness no longer remembers those who caused it.

William Sham

William Sham

William Sham

Currently working on:

Quick Facts:

Three relevant works from the last 5 years of artistic practice:

Highest educational degree:

Work samples:

BARUA

BARUA

VARIATIONS EN COLERE MAJEURE POUR CITOYENNE REVOLTEE

URGENCE

PATATI PATATA

LES BIJOUX