ABSTRACT
Ariane Mnouchkine's theater work can be examined as an ongoing effort to experiment with and synthesize traditional theatrical forms in order to create something entirely new – and often totally astonishing. This chapter explores the movement and the continuity in her innovative theater work by in-depth analyses of four productions: the Theatre du Soleil's collective creation – 1789 or The Revolution Must Only Stop at the Perfection of Happiness (1971–2); Shakespeare's Richard II (1981); Helene Cixous' l'Indiade (1987); and finally Cixous' Drums on the Dam – In the Form of an Ancient Puppet Play Performed by Actors (1999). Each of these productions, which altogether cover some thirty years of Mnouchkine's career, has been hailed as a theatrical milestone, resulting in Mnouchkine's workshops being the most sought after of any in Europe by young actors from all over the world.
