An Unlikely Scene: French Theatre in the New Liberal Economy

Abstract

Theatre commentators and even practitioners are frequently asked to provide a survey of theatre today; to press pause on what seems to be developing or unfolding a little too quickly in the eyes of those who prefer to reflect on the matter. Legitimate though such requests may be, particularly when they come from people far-removed from or unfamiliar with our practices, and who simply wish to be better informed, they are nevertheless somewhat vain. It is as if the ephemeral nature of live performance were so unbearable, that it was necessary to fight against it by altering its very essence. ‘Surveying’ is a game that we have all played more or less felicitously. It would consequently even be possible to chart, if not a sort of history, at least a plot of our various assessments or depictions of the state of play. Indeed, this is natural since, to state the obvious, the situations described necessarily evolve with the passage of time. But as observers, we also change with time, and therefore our approach, our critical standpoint and analytical tools change, too.