French translation of Business as Usual by Mehis Pihla to be presented in Paris

On Tuesday, March 24th, 2026, the French translation of Mehis Pihla’s play “Business as Usual,” translated by Martin Carayol, will be presented in Paris. As part of the presentation, a staged reading of the play will take place at the Théâtre de l’Opprimé, followed by a discussion with the author, the translator, and Liisi Aibel, director of the Estonian Theatre Agency, who helped facilitate the translation process.

Mehis Pihla’s “Business as Usual,” translated as “La Grande Lessive,” was published last summer by the French publishing house Parlatges in the series “Éditions l’Espace d’un instant” and will now be presented as part of the event “L’Europe sur un plateau” (“Europe on a Plate”). The staged reading is directed by Dominique Dolmieu and performed by actors Laurent Claret, Sylvain Dumont, Miglen Mirtchev, Nathalie Pivain, Salomé Richez, Federico Uguccioni, and Zohar Wexler.

First staged in 2024 by the Estonian Drama Theatre, “Business as Usual” is Pihla’s most widely translated play, having been published or performed to date in English, Swedish, Romanian, and French. Journalist Holger Roonemaa wrote the foreword to the French-language edition, and the translation and publication were supported by Traducta.

The play provides a unique glimpse into a world accessible only to the super-rich, shedding light on how money laundering has influenced the politics of Western countries for decades. It delves into the complexities of giving up money of shadowy origins. Based on meticulously researched documentary materials from press publications and extensive interviews, “Business as Usual” offers a compelling exploration of a global issue that continues to shape our society. In 2025, Mehis Pihla won the original dramaturgy award for the play at the Estonian Theatre Awards.

In addition to “Business as Usual,” the presentation at the Théâtre de l’Opprimé will feature Greek playwright Andrèas Flouràkis’s “What we’re taking with us” (translated into French by Hélène Zervas) and Jelena Gordienko and Alexis Vadrot’s “Undead,” translated from Russian by Zoukhra Yanikova.

More information at the homepage of Théâtre de l’Opprimé.