Christian Schiaretti
Named director of the Théâtre National Populaire in 2002, Christian Schiaretti has since put on over twenty shows there. An ardent defender of theatrical companies and of the concept of repertoire, he'll put on classics (Molière, Cervantes) as well as more modern plays (Paul Claudel, Aimé Césaire). The question of power is often at the heart of his work, especially in his adaptations of Shakespeare (Coriolanus, King Lear), Victor Hugo (Ruy Blas), and Michel Vinaver (Overboard). But it is first and foremost his passion for language and poetry that motivates his creations and his political engagement. A poetry he gives us to hear through the voices of some of the greatest actors—Nada Strancar, Marcel Bozonnet, Serge Merlin, Laurent Terzieff—and which he offers as an exercise to the youngest. A winner of numerous awards (Molière for best director and Molière du Théâtre Public for Coriolanus in 2009, Grand Prix du Syndicat de la critique for his direction of Michel Vinaver's Overboard in 2008), Christian Schiaretti returns today to the Festival d'Avignon, where he directed Alain Badiou's Ahmed le subtil (Ahmed the Subtle).
RB, April 2014
