ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Richard Schechner's Performance Theory Translated into French

publication · 2026-04-23

A new French translation of Richard Schechner's seminal writings on performance theory has been published, thanks to the work of theater studies researchers. Schechner, a leading figure in avant-garde theater, founded The Performance Group in New York in 1968. His adaptation of Euripides' The Bacchae that year famously involved audience members intervening to rescue the actor playing Pentheus from being sacrificed by Dionysus, carrying him out of the theater into the street. This anecdote illustrates Schechner's original approach to theater, developed over more than forty years and now widely available in French.

Key facts

  • Richard Schechner's performance theory writings translated into French
  • Translation by theater studies researchers
  • Schechner founded The Performance Group in New York in 1968
  • Adaptation of Euripides' The Bacchae in 1968
  • Audience members rescued actor playing Pentheus
  • Actor carried out of theater into the street
  • Schechner's work spans over forty years
  • Previously published in many languages

Entities

Artists

  • Richard Schechner

Institutions

  • The Performance Group
  • artpress

Locations

  • New York
  • France

Sources