The Theatre Alfred Jarry was founded in January 1926 by

Antonin Artaud Antoine Marie Joseph Paul Artaud, better known as Antonin Artaud (; 4 September 1896 – 4 March 1948), was a French writer, poet, dramatist, visual artist, essayist, actor and theatre director. He is widely recognized as a major figure of the E ...

with

Robert Aron Robert Aron (1898–1975) was a French historian and writer who wrote a number of books on politics and European history. Early life and career Robert Aron was born in Le Vésinet on 25 May 1898 to an upper-class Jewish family from eastern France ...

and

Roger Vitrac Roger Vitrac (; 17 November 1899 – 22 January 1952) was a French surrealist playwright and poet. Early life Roger Vitrac was born in Pinsac on 17 November 1899, before his family moved to Paris in 1910.:527 As a young man, he was influenced by ...

, in Paris, France. It was influenced by

Surrealism Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...

and

Theatre of the Absurd The Theatre of the Absurd (french: théâtre de l'absurde ) is a post–World War II designation for particular plays of absurdist fiction written by a number of primarily European playwrights in the late 1950s. It is also a term for the style of ...

, and was foundational to Artaud's theory of the

Theatre of Cruelty The Theatre of Cruelty (french: Théâtre de la Cruauté, also french: Théâtre cruel) is a form of theatre generally associated with Antonin Artaud. Artaud, who was briefly a member of the surrealist movement, outlined his theories in ''The Theat ...

. The theatre was named after

Alfred Jarry Alfred Jarry (; 8 September 1873 – 1 November 1907) was a French symbolist writer who is best known for his play ''Ubu Roi'' (1896). He also coined the term and philosophical concept of 'pataphysics. Jarry was born in Laval, Mayenne, France, ...

, who is most known for creating Ubu Roi. Though short-lived, the theatre was attended by an enormous range of European artists, including

Arthur Adamov Arthur Adamov (23 August 1908 – 15 March 1970) was a playwright, one of the foremost exponents of the Theatre of the Absurd. Early life Adamov (originally Adamian) was born in Kislovodsk in the Terek Oblast of the Russian Empire to a wealthy A ...

, André Gide, and

Paul Valéry Ambroise Paul Toussaint Jules Valéry (; 30 October 1871 – 20 July 1945) was a French poet, essayist, and philosopher. In addition to his poetry and fiction (drama and dialogues), his interests included aphorisms on art, history, letters, mus ...

.^:249

Productions

The Theatre Alfred Jarry staged four productions between June 1927 and January 1929. 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)^:33 **Antonin Artaud's V''entre brûlé; ou La Mère folle (Burnt Belly, or the Mad Mother)'' ***

Maxime Jacob Maxime Jacob, or Dom Clément Jacob, (13 January 1906 in Bordeaux – 26 February 1977 in Abbaye En-Calcat, Dourgne, Tarn) was a French composer and organist. Biography Jacob studied at the Paris Conservatory with Charles Koechlin and And ...

(Musical Composition) ***

Edmond Beauchamp Edmond Beauchamp (3 March 1900 – 3 June 1985), sometimes credited only as Beauchamp, was a French film and Broadway stage actor. He appeared in 70 films between 1928 and 1979. Partial filmography * '' Misdeal'' (1928) - Le gitan (uncredi ...

(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 Geymond Vital (24 January 1897 – 6 December 1987) was a French film, stage and television actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the ...

(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 Vsevolod Illarionovich Pudovkin ( rus, Всеволод Илларионович Пудовкин, p=ˈfsʲevələt ɪlərʲɪˈonəvʲɪtɕ pʊˈdofkʲɪn; 16 February 1893 – 30 June 1953) was a Russian and Soviet film director, screenwriter ...

Mother ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given childbirth, birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the cas ...

(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 Tania Balachova (Russian: Таня Балашова, diminutive of Татьяна Павловна Балашова atiana Pavlovna Balachova (1902-1973) was a French actress and director of Russian origin. After World War II, she would become o ...

(Indra's Daughter/Agnes) ***

Auguste Boverio Auguste may refer to: People Surname * Arsène Auguste (born 1951), Haitian footballer * Donna Auguste (born 1958), African-American businesswoman * Georges Auguste (born 1933), Haitian painter * Henri Auguste (1759–1816), Parisian gold a ...

(The Poet) ***

Étienne Decroux Étienne Decroux (19 July 1898 in Paris, France – 12 March 1991 in Boulogne-Billancourt, France) was a French actor who studied at Jacques Copeau's École du Vieux-Colombier, where he saw the beginnings of what was to become his life's obsess ...

(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'' **

's ''Victor; ou, Le pouvoir aux les enfants'' ***Marc Darnault (the boy)

Notable Members

* Antonin Artaud - Founder, writer and creative director. * Robert Aron - Founder, producer for first three seasons. * Roger Vitrac - Founder and writer. *

Yvonne Allendy Yvonne is a female given name. It is the feminine form of Yvon, which is derived from the French name Yves and Yvette. It is from the French word ''iv'', meaning "yew" (or tree). Since yew wood was used for bows, Ivo may have been an occupation ...

- Treasurer. Madame Allendy also took up the role of the creation of promotional materials, such as posters and invitations. *

René Allendy René Félix Allendy (; 19 February 1889 – 12 July 1942) was a French psychoanalyst and homeopath. Life He contracted pneumonia at three years and was a sickly child, afflicted with diphtheria and other serious ailments. After successfully c ...

- 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.{{Cite web, url=http://www.regietheatrale.com/index/index/thematiques/auteurs/vitrac/roger-vitrac-3.html, title=The Alfred Jarry Theatre, website=Association de la Régie Théâtrale, publisher=Association de la Régie Théâtrale, access-date=5 December 2019

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 Max Dalban (27 May 1908 – 9 February 1958) was a French film actor.Macdonald p.244 Selected filmography * ''Boudu Saved from Drowning'' (1932) * '' Chotard and Company'' (1933) * ''Street Without a Name'' (1934) * ''Toni'' (1935) * ''The Alib ...

* Dalle * Marc Darnault * Etienne Decroux *

Maxime Fabert Maxime Fabert, real name Robert Émile Jaillon, (7 November 1898 – 1 October 1878) was a French stage and film actor. Maxime Fabert managed the Theater of the Comédie-Wagram from 1946 to 1962. Filmography * 1932 : ''The Nude Woman'' by J ...

* Edith Farnese Gilles * Jacqueline Hopstein * Max Joly * Elizabeth Lannay * René Lefèvre * Robert Le Flon * Ghita Luchaire *

Jean Mamy Jean Mamy (8 July 1912, Chambéry, Savoie – 29 March 1949, Arcueil) was a French actor, producer, film and theatre director, screenwriter, film editor, and journalist, notable for directing the anti-Masonic propaganda film '' Forces occultes'' ...

* Germaine Ozier * Alexandra Pecker * Raymond Rouleau * Sarantidis * Yvonne Save * Ulric Straram * Yvonne Vibert * Geymond Vital * De Vos * Laurent Zacharie

References

Theatre companies in France