CNRS Publication Explores Image and Stage in Theatre

Edited by Béatrice Picon-Vallin, the collective work "La scène et les images" is published by CNRS Éditions in the collection "Les Voies de la création théâtrale". The volume emerges from long-term research by the CNRS Laboratoire des arts du spectacle on the integration of images into theatrical space. After a precise survey on the presence of screens, the research team now questions what constitutes an image in theatre and the best ways to produce it. The book opens with a broad panorama of 20th-century spectacle and an analysis of the status of images in historical performances, immediately invoking the tutelary presence of Robert Wilson. However, it avoids reducing the inquiry to a Wilsonian lineage. The volume's strength lies in its foundational uncertainty, granting it freedom. Studies focus not only on Wilson or screens but also on performances that confront the actor's presence and materiality to create images. The isolation of studies means a debate on different modes of production and their impact on the nature of the image is lacking. Essays on Chéreau and the Théâtre du Radeau correct the suspicion that "theatre of images" diminishes text or acting. The book also explores foreign territories, notably Italy, where the quest for images has been a particularly active struggle. Review by Georges Banu.