Speaking out for contemporary theatre
About the Theatre---
“The theatre affirms its complexity and is inured to the simplifications of reason whereas philosophy strives to pare down what is real in the desire to make things simple. In short philosophy has one voice whereas literature speaks with several.
To me philosophy is not an end in itself. It is an instrument to tell life as it is. I do not care to limit the mind to reason alone. There resides the error of the philosophizing intellectual. The life breath of our minds also resides in our imagination, heart, feelings, values .. Rationality is only one small step.”
"Don Juan on trial" by Eric Emmanuel Scmitt.
A Théâtre de l'Or Bleu production, directed by Marie-Anne Gorbatchevsky
“We have just experienced forty wonderful years of theatre in which the main interest was the staging. It has rather put authors in the shade. What better way to show one’s skill as a director than by reviving a Molière or a Shakespeare and giving them one’s own signature. A narcissistic culture of stage directing has developed. I would even go so far as to call it theatrical affectation. People sign their version of Tartuffe or Hamlet. It is interesting but also decadent. New blood can come from only actors or authors. Whereas it is the directors who have control over the institutions, excepting Jean-Michel Ribes, to whom I gave my support in his wish to direct the Théâtre du Rond-Point. If they have the sense of their mission, then stage directors will create dramatic authors. We are right here.” From an interview reported by Rodolphe Fouano, Les Cahiers de la Maison Jean Vilar, n°103, novembre 2007
“Writing is a destiny. It’s a marathon run as a sprint. I often pretend to be living. To write is to be outside life even if a whole life must transit in the ink.” From an interview reported by Armelle Héliot, Le Figaro- 2003 - Le garçon qui était d'ailleurs.
"I’m scandalised by the expenditure of some of the grand barons of public theatre, by the money they have to organise publicity, marketing and the like. This money could go to other theatre companies. I’m not against subsidy, but the way the money is distributed should be fairer. People have got used to giving money to directors. Directors are in charge of all the subsidized theatres. We’ve made a ghetto for all the young authors and the logic of the ghetto is to marginalize – with play-readings. I love theatre, so I hate readings." Interview in "Mise en scène : French Theatre Now" by David Bradby and Annie Sparks (Editions Methuen Drama)