There are two sides to Tiago Rodrigues, the Portuguese director who has led the Avignon Festival since last year. One — gentle, introspective, given to dissecting intimate human conflicts — has long been evident in his stage productions. That includes “Hecuba, Not Hecuba,” his latest premiere in Avignon, in which a mother fights for justice after her son is mistreated by a state institution. On the other side, Rodrigues has also turned out to be a combative, politically outspoken leader for the French festival, a marquee event on the international theater calendar. JoeyStarr, a French rapper, recited a poem by Léon-Gontran Damas.

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Persons: Tiago Rodrigues, —, ”, Rodrigues, de Bergman, Boris Charmatz, Isadora Duncan, JoeyStarr, Léon, Gontran Damas Locations: Portuguese, Avignon, France, French