Luz

by Catherine Filloux

Luz is a play by Catherine Filloux that exposes the global scale of gender-based violence and the collusion between human rights and corporate law practices. A play that is at once volatile and tender, entertaining and surreal. With an introduction by director José Zayas.

80 pages, Paperback

First published May 29, 2014

About the author

CATHERINE FILLOUX (Playwright/Librettist) is an award-winning French Algerian American playwright and librettist who has been writing about human rights for many decades. Filloux’s plays and libretti have been produced in the U.S., internationally, and are widely published, anthologized and written about. Catherine’s new trilogy of plays about the environment includes “Olivia,” “Medusa,” and “Deep Time,” developed as part of The Olivia Project at a variety of theaters in New York City. Her new play “Trip of a Lifetime” about Usha Vance is being developed with Hypokrit NYC. Filloux’s epistolary play “Third Person,” about youth and war, recently premiered at CultureHub in New York City, and her new opera “Allegra & the Cello, in Movements” (composer, Julia Schwartz) will premiere in New York City in 2026. Her play “How to Eat an Orange” was commissioned by INTAR, with the premiere at La MaMa in New York City. Her new play “White Savior” was nominated for The Venturous Play List. Filloux is the librettist for four produced operas: “New Arrivals” (Houston Grand Opera, composer John Glover); “Where Elephants Weep” (Chenla Theatre, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, composer Him Sophy) broadcast on Cambodian national television and on Broadway on Demand; “The Floating Box” (Asia Society, NYC, composer Jason Kao Hwang) an Opera News Critic’s Choice and released by New World Records. Catherine is co-librettist with composer Olga Neuwirth for the opera “Orlando”, premiere at the Vienna State Opera and the 2022 Grawemeyer Award winner. “Orlando” is the first opera by a woman composer and woman librettist at the Vienna Staatsoper and recently premiered in Berlin at the Komische Opera. Filloux’s new musical “Welcome to the Big Dipper” (composer Jimmy Roberts, co-book writer John Daggett) premiered Off-Broadway at the York Theatre in New York City and the original Off-Broadway cast recording is by StarVista Music; it was a National Alliance for Musical Theatre finalist. Catherine has traveled for her plays to conflict areas around the world. She received her French Baccalaureate in Philosophy with Honors in Toulon, France, and her M.F.A. at New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing. A speaker and activist, Catherine is the cofounder/co-director of Theatre Without Borders and is featured in the documentary film “Acting Together on the World Stage." www.catherinefilloux.com

Reviews

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Luz, Catherine Filloux once again dives into the intersection of human rights, trauma, and resilience with compassion, sharpness, and a touch of theatrical imagination. This time, the story centers on three women: Luz and Helene, survivors of sexual violence in conflict zones, and Alexandra, a young human rights lawyer trying to help them navigate the asylum process in the U.S.
The play doesn’t follow a traditional structure, it moves between courtroom-like interviews, memories, and dream-like fragments. Filloux blends legal realism with poetic expression, letting us feel the emotional weight of these women’s stories while still raising big, difficult questions about justice, truth, and bureaucracy.
What’s especially powerful is how Filloux highlights the gaps in the system, not just in far-off countries, but here in the U.S. too. Alexandra’s good intentions are constantly challenged by legal red tape, personal doubt, and the sheer complexity of what it means to "help." Luz and Helene, meanwhile, are never reduced to victims; they’re fierce, complicated, funny, and deeply human.
At times, the nonlinear storytelling and layered dialogue can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re expecting a more straightforward plot. But the emotional clarity is always there. Filloux trusts her audience to keep up and rewards them with characters and moments that linger.
Luz is not an easy play, but it’s a necessary one. It doesn’t sensationalize trauma, it listens to it. And in doing so, it offers a deeply affecting portrait of what survival looks like after the headlines have faded, and the real work begins.

[Ace Caldwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luz is one of Catherine Filloux’s most beautiful plays. Between the concurrent narratives of the lawsuit against Oliver Rausch and his oil company and Alexandra’s fight for justice for Luz and similarly targeted women, an underlying message about empathy can be heard. Violence against women is one of the most common types of violence in the world, and there isn’t any country on Earth where a woman can live completely free of fear for her life and her safety. Plays like Luz remind the public about this truth, and ask the reader to join Alexandra in fighting back.