Bare Feet on Stage: Theatrical Trend and Cross-Art Contamination
A growing trend in French theatre sees directors staging performances with actors barefoot, even in period costumes. This choice, seen in works by Yves Beaunesne (Maeterlinck's Princesse Maleine), Eric Lacascade (Chekhov), Garance (Bernard Noël on Anna Magnani), and Christine Gagneux (Médée), asserts independence from costume determinism and seeks bodily freedom and intimacy with the stage. The practice reflects a contamination of theatre by dance, creating a double communication between the two arts. The article also reviews recent productions: Bob Wilson's Woyzzeck at the Odéon, criticized by purists but praised for blending cold visuals with emotional songs; Eric Vignier's The Beast in the Jungle in Lorient; Bruno Meyssat's Impressions d'Œdipe; and Peter Brook's revival of The Man Who. It notes the closure of several theatre ventures: the Aquarium team left its venue, Stanislas Nordey and Valérie Lang left Théâtre Gérard Philipe in Saint-Denis, Jean-Claude Penchenat ended Campagnol, and the Académie Expérimentale des Théâtres closed. The article questions whether these mark an end or a renewal.
Key facts
- Barefoot acting is a growing trend in French theatre, even with period costumes.
- Directors using bare feet include Yves Beaunesne, Eric Lacascade, Garance, and Christine Gagneux.
- The practice is seen as a contamination of theatre by dance, offering bodily freedom.
- Bob Wilson's Woyzzeck at the Odéon features barefoot actors and music by Tom Waits.
- Eric Vignier adapted Henry James's The Beast in the Jungle in Lorient.
- Bruno Meyssat's Impressions d'Œdipe uses four actors in a poetic, fragmented staging.
- Peter Brook revived The Man Who and Faraway by Caryl Churchill.
- Several theatre groups closed: Aquarium, Nordey/Lang at Saint-Denis, Campagnol, and Académie Expérimentale des Théâtres.
Entities
Artists
- Yves Beaunesne
- Eric Lacascade
- Garance
- Christine Gagneux
- Bob Wilson
- Tom Waits
- Eric Vignier
- Bruno Meyssat
- Peter Brook
- Stanislas Nordey
- Valérie Lang
- Jean-Claude Penchenat
- Andrei Serban
- Deborah Warner
- Luca Ronconi
- Jacques Lassalle
- Caryl Churchill
- Henry James
- Bernard Noël
- Anna Magnani
- David Wahl
- Maeterlinck
- Chekhov
- Sophocles
- Dante
- Hölderlin
- Marivaux
- Françoise Gründ
Institutions
- Odéon
- Théâtre Gérard Philipe de Saint-Denis
- Campagnol
- Académie Expérimentale des Théâtres
- Aquarium
- La Martinière
Locations
- Lorient
- France
- Paris
- Saint-Denis
Sources
- artpress —