Reflections on Forty Years of Théâtre du Soleil

Abstract

Translated by Tom Sellar

‘The Empire Floats Back’. Ariane Mnouchkine, her L’Indiade and the Nāṭyaśāstra

“…Her project was supposed to provide an alternative to the contemporary French theatrical mainstream and its subsequent productions carried the implicit promise of the outburst of youth celebrated by the '68-generation', despite the multiple disillusionments. One should also add to this cauldron of influences Mnouchkine's intellectual and artistic debt to her mentor Jacques Lecoq , who acquainted her with the theatre-traditions of Jacques Copeau (1879-1949) and his famous Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier and the exploits of 'les copiaux' (Picon-Vallin 2006. The latter were to inspire the ambience of solidarity-based collectivity that was to become a hallmark of the lifestyle of the members of Mnouchkine's theatre.…”