Le théâtre national populaire au temps de Jean Vilar (1951-1963) - article ; n°1 ; vol.57, pg 89-103

Vingtième Siècle. Revue d'histoire - Année 1998 - Volume 57 - Numéro 1 - Pages 89-103
National Popular Theater at the time of Jean Vilar (1951-1963), Emmanuelle Loyer.
Following a long tradition going back to the French revolution, Jean Vilar's national theater was dedicated to service to the people. He carried out an effective policy to attract the people and renewed the classic repertory in an original way. For him the theater was an explicit form of commitment to the left. This gave him an incontestable success, especially as in France the theater traditionally represents a political and social stake. Conceived as a public service, the TNP knit close ties with the State, considering that it had duties toward its citizens' culture. For Jean Vilar, the theater belonged to the life of a human being; it was as vital as living and eating. But of the role of who decided which culture was the right one were born the ambiguities and difficulties of a form of theater denounced in 1968.
15 pages
Source : Persée ; Ministère de la jeunesse, de l’éducation nationale et de la recherche, Direction de l’enseignement supérieur, Sous-direction des bibliothèques et de la documentation.