White Dog takes place in the USA of the 1960s, torn by racial conflict.
Martin Luther King has just been assassinated. All over the country, rioting has broken out. Blacks struggle relentlessly to win their civil rights.

Surrounded by this urban violence, Romain Gary and his wife, actress Jean Seberg, adopt a stray german shepherd, and name him Batka. Although their new pet seems sweet and affectionate, he is no ordinary canine. Now and then, he bristles with savagery, as if overcome by his wol sh nature. Without warning, the familiar disintegrates, giving way to the ferocious.

“What is wrong with this dog?”

The humans delve into understanding the animal’s behavior, trying to save its life.

Together, the lighting, the projected backdrops, the puppets, and the musicians dramatize Romain Gary’s poignant memoir. A jazz drummer keeps the tension rising as the great white expanse of the stage darkens. As if watching a movie, the audience sees a bruised and bruising society take shape, with many a shadowy corner.

Two years after staging R.A.G.E., Les Anges au Plafond continue to illuminate the humanism of Romain Gary. Here, they tackle the question of the conditioning of the human mind.

What hope is there for a dream of brotherhood and reconciliation, when human stupidity rhymes with animal ferocity? Is manipulation synonymous with training?
Can hatred be unlearned?