Festival d'Avignon (July 6 - 27, 2007)
Once again the Festival d'Avignon is upon us, this firework of intellectual excitement. Tell me, what do you really expect of a theatre, drama and dance festival? Something you don't see at "normal" performances, right? Welcome to the Festival d'Avignon! France's premier event of avant-garde theatre, drama and dance, a huge multi-arts celebration. France's oldest and most prestigious cultural festival has been able to preserve its avant-garde character say its many adherents. Perhaps, but isn't this mainly due to the vivacity and creativity of Avignon "off", the official "unofficial" part of the festival?
The Festival d'Avignon was founded in 1947 by Jean Vilar (1912-1971), the controversial, yet well known French director. The city council of Avignon - this was 1947 - had the idea to stage a theatre and drama festival. Vilar was hesitant at first - dealing with public officials was not his thing. What convinced him probably was the unique setting of the Court d'Honneur, one of the two inner courtyards of the Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes) - room for 2000 spectators! Plus the artistic freedom the city council conceded - they had little choice. Vilar agreed and directed three performances. Those were the times. Today the official festival plays host to the world's leading directors and companies, acting as a forum for theatrical classics as well as the latest in dance, music and opera. Vilar acted as creative director until his death in 1971. No doubt the Festival d'Avignon is his greatest legacy.
Nowadays the official festival is run by a non-profit foundation funded by government subsidies and ticket sales. The government - represented by the city council, the Vaucluse department and the Provence-Alpes Côte d'Azur regional government decide on budget matters, appoint an art director and each year a new associate artist. That's the one who is featured in the festival - a great honor, proof you have made it!
This year's associate artist is Frédéric Fisbach, a French director for the past 10 years and a spectator for a much longer time. A man who in these times of YouTube, internet dating, Paris Hilton and other intellectual tidbits can listen, can observe and stimulate his audience to think out of the box. A man inspired by the likes of Pina Bausch and René Char. Fisbach will direct two productions: Feuillets d'Hypnos (Leaves of Hypnos) by the Provençal poet René Char and Les Paravents (The Screens) by Jean Genet. This year Réne Char would have been 100 years old, you can visit his home in l'Isle sur la Sorgue not far from Avignon. The Feuillets d'Hypnos are about war, occupation, resistance and above all human behaviour under these extreme circumstances. Another highlight should be Frank Castorf from the Berlin People's Theatre, who showcases his new play "North", an adaptation of French writer Ferdinand Céline's novel. Richard III, a Shakespearean classic, is being reworked by Belgian novelist Peter Verhelst. Personally - having lived in California for many years - I am looking forward to "Tendre Jeudi" (Sweet Thursday), Mathieu Bauer's adaptation of this John Steinbeck classic. Mathieu Bauer is a co-founder of the Sentimental Excecutioners Company (Le Sentimental Bourreau) - as I said, I will be all ears and eyes. But .... there are many, many other notable performances. Has the Festival lost its energy and spirit? Time will tell. My personal opinion: I don't think so!
Which leads us to the fringe festival, this wonderful, colorful, innovative, provocative, intellectually stimulating, obscene, chaotic .... you can find as many adjectives as you want type of event. It sort of evolved in the 1980s, "le Festival d'Avignon Off". It is "le vrai salon du théâtre vivant en France". Any company able to raise the funds and find a venue to perform can show up here. Total artistic freedom. No government bodies to tell you what's what. These festival "off" performances - numbering roughly 700 - can be very, very avant garde and challenging. But this is where new talents and new ideas are tested. It's about provocation, about experiments, about artistic freedom. In these times of consumerism and soulless "cultural" offerings by Murdoch, Berlusconi and other yellow press magnates one of the few venues to differentiate. This is where things happen say the many aficionados - roughly 700.000 each year. A disoriented array of mediocre performances by wanna bees say the many critics. The truth? Who knows, perhaps somewhere in between? In 2006 two associations, the old Avignon Festival Off (AFO) and the newer Avignon Festival et Compagnies (AFC) competed to "organize" le "off", resulting in considerable intrigue and confusion. This year things are back to normal, that is under one association, the AFC.
The city of Avignon offers the proper background for this type of festival. It's a lively university town with many historic palaces, town houses, churches, squares and the famous Palace of the Popes. A major tourist destination right in the heartland of the Provence. It is also a city of contrasts faced with many challenges. There is a lively café and restaurant scene "Intramuros", that is in the old town within the medieval walls. Avignon "Extramuros" is where most people live, including a large North African immigrant community. Roughly 20 venues are used to host the performances: churches, cloisters, squares, stone quarries and the Palace of the Popes (Palais des Papes).
By the way, tickets go on sale in early May each year. Interested? Really worthwhile if you are interested in modern theatre, drama and dance. Check these two websites:
Festival d'Avignon Official Website
Avignon Off Festival
