Over the past thirty years Ariane Mnouchkine's 'Théâtre du Soleil' has become one of the most celebrated companies in Europe, and Mnouchkine one of its best-known directors. Collaborative Theatre is the first in-depth sourcebook in English on 'Théâtre du Soleil', providing English readers with first-hand accounts of the development of its collectivist practices and ideals. Collaborative Theatre presents critical and historical essays by theatre scholars from around the world as well as the writings of and interviews with members of le Théâtre du Soleil, past and present. Projects discussed include: 1789, L'Age d'Or, Richard II, L'Indiade and Les Atriades.

Le Théâtre du Soleil traces the company’s history from a group of young, barely trained actors, directors, and designers struggling to match their political commitment to a creative strategy, to their grappling with the concerns of migration, separation and exile in the early decades of the twenty-first century. Béatrice Picon-Vallin recounts how, in the 55 years since its founding, the Théâtre du Soleil has established itself as one of the foremost names in modern theatre. Ariane Mnouchkine and her collaborators have developed a unique and ever-evolving style that combines a piercing richness of shape, color, and texture with precision choreography, innovative musical accompaniment, and multi-layered, metaphorical dreamscapes. This rich, storied history is illustrated by a wealth of spectacular rehearsal and production photos from the company's own archive and interviews with dozens of past and present members, including Mnouchkine herself. Judith G. Miller’s timely translation of the first comprehensive history and analysis of a remarkable, award-winning company is a compelling read for both students and teachers of Drama and Theatre Studies.

This is a full-length study of the renowned French theatre director Ariane Mnouchkine, and her company, the Théâtre du Soleil. Mnouchkine is recognized 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, Kiernander analyses the elements which inform Mnouchkine's work as well as the input she has had on modern theatre. The book includes an interview with Mnouchkine, a chronology of her productions and theatre career, and is illustrated with photographs from productions.

Routledge Performance Practitioners is a series of introductory guides to the key theatre-makers of the last century. Each volume explains the background to and the work of one of the major influences on twentieth- and twenty-first-century performance. One of the most important directors of her generation, and one of the only women ever to have attained great director status in France, Ariane Mnouchkine's work is in revolt against declamation and text-based theatre. A utopian humanist, attracting actors from almost forty different countries to her company, Le Theatre du Soleil, Mnouchkine nurtures a passionate following. This is the first book to combine: an overview of Mnouchkine's life, work and theatrical influences an exploration of her key ideas on theatre and the creative process analysis of key productions, including 1789 and Richard II. As a first step towards critical understanding, and as an initial exploration before going on to further, primary research, Routledge Performance Practitioners are unbeatable value for today's student.

Le Théâtre du Soleil traces the company's history from a group of young, barely trained actors, directors, and designers struggling to match their political commitment to a creative strategy, to their grappling with the concerns of migration, separation and exile in the early decades of the twenty-first century. Béatrice Picon-Vallin recounts how, in the 55 years since its founding, the Théâtre du Soleil has established itself as one of the foremost names in modern theatre. Ariane Mnouchkine and her collaborators have developed a unique and ever-evolving style that combines a piercing richness of shape, color, and texture with precision choreography, innovative musical accompaniment, and multi-layered, metaphorical dreamscapes. This rich, storied history is illustrated by a wealth of spectacular rehearsal and production photos from the company's own archive and interviews with dozens of past and present members, including Mnouchkine herself. Judith G. Miller's timely translation of the first comprehensive history and analysis of a remarkable, award-winning company is a compelling read for both students and teachers of Drama and Theatre Studies.

Hélène Cixous is one of the most brilliant and radical of contemporary theorists. This is the first publication in any language of Cixous' own Notebooks, illustrating the concept of "écriture féminine" and offering new insights into Cixous' theoretical insistence on writing and her own practice as a writer. Cixous' Notebooks exemplify how writing creates unique possibilities for circumventing the mistruths that shape us as subjects and which organize our relations with the world. The Writing Notebooks opens with an introduction which outlines the central points of Cixous' notion of writing. The main body of the work is comprised of 60 photographic extracts from the Notebooks, each extract accompanied by editorial annotation and a translation into English. The book concludes with a new interview with Cixous on the value of the Notebooks, the process of writing and her own fiction. Cixous' Notebooks will be invaluable to students of literature, psychoanalysis, philosophy and feminism.

With specific examples and case studies by specialist writers, academics and a new generation of theatre researchers, this collection of specially commissioned essays is the perfect introduction to contemporary theatre practices in Europe.