La Bataille de Kimberley is a “pièce du jeudi” (Thursday play) – a genre unique to the Théâtre Louis Richard in Roubaix. In 1904, Maurice Richard (Louis Richard’s son) convinced his father to open the theatre on Thursdays, which used to be a day off for pupils. He would only outline the framework of these Thursday plays. They would rest on a minimal text and the action would be even more compact than in the usual plays of the Théâtre Richard (each act contained a few short sentences to explain the action without using dialogue). The plays are made up of 4 or 5 acts. Almost all Thursday plays have only been played once.

Kimberley is a mining town in South Africa. During the Second Boer War (1899-1902), the city was besieged by the Boers for several months (1899-1900). The siege was lifted in February 1900 by British cavalry. Maurice Richard then turned the situation around, claiming that the Boers were besieged, so as to accommodate the audience’s sympathy for the Boers.

The text is found on pages 79 and 80 of a manuscript (Ms 251) kept in the Médiathèque de Roubaix. The manuscript gathers 120 Thurday plays written by Maurice and Louis Richard from 1905 to 1907.

David is risking his life by spying for the Boers. When he learns that the English have gathered their forces outside Kimberley, he warns Louis Botha, the Boer General. Botha sends his infantry against the English. During the battle, David is captured, but the Boers free him. David shouts “Long live freedom!” as he retreats to Kimberley.