Thirty years passed between the time that Antoine Vitez became director of the Chaillot Theatre in Paris and the time when Jean Vilar held the post in 1951. The souvenirs that haunt the venue were, for the director who hails from the Parisian suburb of Ivry, a pretext for him to ponder the function of the theatre, and the burden that fell upon the actor who had spent long periods in and out of work, who had worked as a translator and who is a Marxist. His reflections extended to the profession of stage director, of actor and to the way the average person views the world. The political scene changes, the artist's meditations adapted accordingly to historical variations, while remaining true to his ideas born out of an internationalist background. Daniel Soulier, a stage-director - who worked as an actor with Vitez - has seized a spontaneous dialogue between Vitez and the writer and journalist, Emile Copfermann and brings it to the public. Antoine Vitez is a man who is sensitive to words and their hidden meanings. Two actors attempt to slip in between Vitez' lines to expose to the public - and perhaps even to future actors - just what art and politics are made of, and how they can be contemplated.
Distribution
stage direction Daniel Soulier
Cast : Jean-Claude Durand and Daniel Soulier
Scenography and costumes : Camilla Barnes
Assistant : Jeanne Vitez
Production
Coproduction : Théâtre national de Chaillot, Festival d'Avignon, Le Fanal-Scène nationale de Saint-Nazaire et l'Association des Amis d'Antoine Vitez