Georges Banu's 'Les Voyages du comédien' Explores the Unruly Actor

In 'Les Voyages du comédien' (Gallimard, coll. 'Pratique du théâtre'), critic Georges Banu examines the fundamental questions of acting and interpretation, focusing on the 'insoumis' (unruly) actor who disrupts theatrical conventions. Banu contrasts Western theatre, divided between Eastern didacticism and Western deconstruction, with Eastern traditions where actors embody collective memory. He discusses the tension between presence and representation, the actor's body and voice as sites of resistance, and the role of language in shaping performance. The book also explores travesty, mannerism, aging actors, and frontal vs. back staging, referencing Diderot and Ariane Mnouchkine. Banu argues that the actor's insubordination revitalizes theatre, and that play itself is a cornerstone of freedom.