Théâtre du Soleil

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Théâtre du Soleil (lit. "Theater of the Sun") is a Parisian avant-garde stage ensemble. It was founded in 1964 as a collective founded by Ariane Mnouchkine, Philippe Léotard and fellow students at the L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq.

Mnouchkine and her international company of actors believe that the fundamentals of theatre and theatricality are found within the traditions of Asian theatre and the popular theatre of the west. It is a young cosmopolitan company that resides in La Cartoucherie, an old munitions factory in the Vincennes area of Paris.

The company create new theatrical works, focussing on collective work and devising; its main purpose, unchanged since 1968, is to draw up a new relationship with the public and to be distinguished from middle-class théâtre, creating a more popular form of theatre. The company quickly became one of the major companies on the theatre landscape. It built its own ethics, attached to the concept of a theatre company as being similar to a tribe, a family: everyone receives the same wages. More original still, the final distribution decides only after the actors were exerted with several roles.

Théâtre du Soleil's productions are often performed in unconventional venues such as barns or gymnasiums, as Mnouchkine does not like being confined to a typical stage. Similarly, she feels theatre cannot be restricted with the "fourth wall". When audiences enter a Mnouchkine production, they will often find the actors preparing (putting on make-up, getting into costume) right before their eyes. Sometimes, the troupe develops ideas out of improvisational exercises. They also incorporate multiple styles of theatre in their work - ranging from commedia dell'arte to Eastern forms such as Bunraku.

Their latest work called Les Ephémères is an eight-and-a-half-long show that takes place in the space located between 2 sets of bleachers, forming a passage where the actors roll mobile stages presenting small scenes of a few minutes each with one or more actors. Some scene are related, some are connected only by the thread of the memory, some are replay some are fast forwarded. The temporary feeling of the scenes stay imprinted in the memory of the spectators, creating an eerie feeling and a sense of dream. Several short intermissions are offered, during which actors serve cookies and water. Mostly sold out, the production is touring around the world now. The large troup travels with their stages, their own sets, formidable amount of clothing and props and even take the numerous children of the show along with them.