On the occasion of the European Cultural Season which will take place during the second half of 2008, in the framework of the French presidency of the European Union, an exceptional European theatre project has been decided on: the selection of 27 European texts translated into French, published and presented at public readings. This project, initiated by Culturesfrance, wishes to have the diversity and richness of contemporary European theatre writing be heard while having the public discover European playwrights known in their country but still unpublished in France. Three reading cycles, at the Festival d'Avignon, the Festival La Mousson d'été (23 to 29 August) and the Odéon-Théâtre de l'Europe (1 to 29 November) will present 27 playwrights who come from each of the 27 member countries of the European Union, translated with the support of the Maison Antoine Vitez and the Atelier Européen de la Traduction and published by éditions Théâtrales.
The Festival has chosen Patrick Pineau to produce the readings in Avignon. Five plays will be recorded and broadcast on France Culture.
Belgium Risquons tout (Let's Risk Everything) by Filip Vanluchene • translation Monique Nagielkopf
Bulgaria Petite Pièce pour chambre d'enfants (Short Play for Children's Bedroom) by Iana Borisova • translation Evgueniy Djurov, Frédéric Vossier
Denmark Chef-d'œuvre (Masterpiece) by Christian Lollike • translation Catherine Lise Dubost
Ireland Terminus by Mark O'Rowe • translation Isabelle Famchon (with the collaboration of Joseph Long)
Latvia Les Cerfs noirs (The Black Stags) by Inga Abele translation Gita Grinberga, Henri Menantaud
Netherlands Le jour, et la nuit, et le jour, après la mort (The Day, and the Night, and the Day, After Death) by Esther Gerritsen • translation Monique Nagielkopf
United Kingdom Débris by Dennis Kelly • translation Philippe Le Moine, Pauline Sales
Slovenia Toute une vie (A Whole Life) by Andreja Zelinka • translation Liza Japelj Carone
Sweden Invasion! by Jonas Hassen Khemiri • translation Susanne Burstein (with the collaboration of Aziz Chouaki)
Distribution
readings by: Nicolas Bonnefoy, Hervé Briaux, Éric Elmosnino, Sylvie Orcier, Patrick Pineau,
Julie Pouillon and Anne Soisson
Production
production: Festival d'Avignon
avec le soutien de: La Saison culturelle européenne/Culturesfrance
en partenariat avec: l'Odéon-Théâtre de l'Europe, la Mousson d'été, la Maison Antoine Vitez-Centre international de la traduction théâtrale, l'Union des Théâtres de l'Europe, l'Atelier européen de la traduction, l'Adami, la Sacd, France Culture