Ariane Mnouchkine and the Théâtre du Soleil

Abstract

This is the first full-length study of the renowned French theatre director Ariane Mnouchkine and her company, the Théâtre du Soleil. Mnouchkine first came to the attention of the English-speaking world with her 1970 production about the French Revolution, '1789', and later with her Shakespeare cycle influenced by Japanese and Indian theatre techniques, which was seen at the Olympic Arts Festival in Los Angeles in 1984. Today Mnouchkine is recognised as one of the first women directors to achieve an international reputation and her productions, spanning from Shakespeare to contemporary drama, have been widely acclaimed as being in the forefront of twentieth-century theatre. Having worked with Mnouchkine's company in 1985, Adrian Kiernander was in a unique position to observe her directorial style and working methods. In this fascinating study, which includes an interview with Mnouchkine, Kiernander analyses the elements which inform her work as well as the impact she has had on modern theatre. The book will be of interest to theatre practitioners, students and scholars of drama and theatre history and French studies, as well as to the general reader. It includes a chronology of Mnouchkine's productions and theatre career and is illustrated with photographs from productions.