Theatre Alfred Jarry Explained

Theatre Alfred Jarry
Native Name:	Le Théâtre Alfred-Jarry
Formation:	January, 1926
Founders:	Antonin Artaud, Robert Aron, and Roger Vitrac
Dissolved:	July, 1929
Type:	Theatre companies
Purpose:	Publication and performance of works associated with Surrealism, Theatre of the Absurd and Theatre of Cruelty
Location:	Paris, France
Key People:	Antonin Artaud, Robert Aron, Roger Vitrac, Rene Allendy, Yvonne Allendy

The Theatre Alfred Jarry was founded in January 1926 by Antonin Artaud with Robert Aron and Roger Vitrac, in Paris, France.^[1] It was influenced by Surrealism, Theatre of the Absurd and the work of Alfred Jarry. It was foundational to Artaud's theory of the Theatre of Cruelty.^[2] Though short-lived, productions were attended by an enormous range of European artists, including Arthur Adamov, André Gide, and Paul Valéry.^:249

Foundation

The theatre was a "collaborative project" between Antonin Artaud, Robert Aron and Roger Vitrac that "emerged from [their] collective interests."^{[3] :77} They named the theatre after Alfred Jarry, "a key figure in the French avant-garde known for his aggressive and biting satire of bourgeois social mores", best known for his play Ubu Roi.^:77

Productions

Between June 1927 and January 1929, the Theatre Alfred Jarry staged seven productions over four seasons.^:77 They did not have a regular space or company, which changed depending on what was available.^:78

The theatre advertised that they would produce Artaud's play Jet de sang in their 1926–1927 season, but it was never mounted and was not premiered until 40 years later.

Season 1

• Théâtre de Grenelle (1 - 2 June, 1927)^{[4] :33}
  • Antonin Artaud's Ventre brûlé; ou La Mère folle (Burnt Belly, or the Mad Mother)
    • Maxime Jacob (Musical Composition)
    • Edmond Beauchamp (Le Roi)
    • René Bruyez (Prédestine de l'Opium)
    • Max Joly (Doux Forniente)
    • Laurent Zacharie (Mystére d'Hollywood)
    • Yvonne Vibert (La Reine)^:254
  • Robert Aron's Gigogne
    • René Lefèvre (Gigogne)
    • Geymond Vital (Le vieux domestique)
    • Yvonne Vibert (La Nourrice)
    • Edmond Beuchamp (Le Fils légitime)
    • Max Joly, Ulric Straram, Laurent Zacharie, René Bruyez (Les Bâtards)^:254
  • Roger Vitrac's Les Mystères de l’amour (The Mysteries of Love)

Season 2

• Comédie des Champs-Élysées (14 January 1928)^:34
  • Vsevolod Pudovkin's Mother (1926)
  • Act III of Paul Claudel's Le Partage de midi
    • Génica Athanasiou, Ysé^:256

Season 3

• Théâtre de L'Avenue, (2 & 9 June, 1928)^:33
  • August Strindberg's A Dream Play
    • Antonin Artaud (Theology)
    • Tania Balachova (Indra's Daughter/Agnes)
    • Auguste Boverio (The Poet)
    • Étienne Decroux (The Quarantine Master)
    • Raymond Rouleau (The Officer)
    • Yvonne Save (Mother/Caretaker)
    • Edmond Beauchamp
    • Maxime Fabert
    • Ghita Luchaire
    • Ulric Straram
    • Laurent Zacharie

Season 4

• Comédie des Champs-Élysées (24 & 29 December, 1928, & 5 January 1929)^:34
  • Roger Vitrac's Victor; ou, Le pouvoir aux les enfants
    • Marc Darnault (the boy)^[5]

Notable Members

• Antonin Artaud - Founder, writer and creative director.
• Robert Aron - Founder, producer for first three seasons.
• Roger Vitrac - Founder and writer.
• Yvonne Allendy - Treasurer. Madame Allendy also took up the role of the creation of promotional materials, such as posters and invitations.^[6]
• René Allendy - Investor. Monsieur Allendy was a friend of Artaud, and took interest in his work. Allendy and his wife raised 3,000 francs as an initial investment for its first season.^[7]

Actors

The following actors performed at TAJ:^:43

• Genica Athanasiou
• Tania Balachova
• Edmond Beauchamp
• Andre Berley
• Jeanne Bernard
• Domenica Blazy
• Auguste Boverio
• René Bruyez
• Henri Cremieux
  • Max Dalban Dalle
• Marc Darnault
• Etienne Decroux
• Maxime Fabert
• Edith Farnese Gilles
• Jacqueline Hopstein
• Max Joly
• Elizabeth Lannay
• René Lefèvre
• Robert Le Flon
• Ghita Luchaire
• Jean Mamy
• Germaine Ozier
• Alexandra Pecker
• Raymond Rouleau
• Sarantidis
• Yvonne Save
• Ulric Straram
• Yvonne Vibert
• Geymond Vital
• De Vos
• Laurent Zacharie

References

1. Jannarone. Kimberly. 2005. The Theatre before Its Double: Artaud Directs in the Alfred Jarry Theatre. Theatre Survey. en. 46. 2. 247–273. 10.1017/S0040557405000153. 194096618. 1475-4533.
2. Connick. Rob. 2011-01-01. Rethinking Artaud's Theoretical and Practical Works. Theatre Ph.D. Dissertations.
3. Book: Morris, Blake . Antonin Artaud . 2021-12-30 . Routledge . 978-0-429-67097-8 . en.
4. Book: Artaud, Antonin. Collected Works, Volume 2. 1999-01-01. Alma Classics. 978-0-7145-0172-7. en.
5. Book: Rose, Mark V.. The Actor and His Double: Mime and Movement for the Theatre of Cruelty. 1986. ATRI Press. 978-0-9616087-0-5. en.
6. Web site: Ressource "Allendy, Yvonne (1890-1935)". IMEC. 6 December 2019.
7. Web site: The Alfred Jarry Theatre. Association de la Régie Théâtrale. 5 December 2019.