Ariane Mnouchkine – Collective creation

Paris, 1973. The dim, cavernous interior of La Cartoucherie—a former munitions factory on the outskirts of the city—has been transformed into a bustling revolutionary fairground. It is here that 1789, a theatrical reenactment of the French Revolution, is about to unfold, not on a single stage but all around the audience. The spectators, a mix of students, workers, intellectuals, and curious Parisians, mill about uncertainly. There are no plush seats; instead, platforms and scaffoldings are arranged like islands in a sea of standing viewers. The smell of fresh bread and onion soup wafts through the air—members of the troupe have cooked a simple soup they plan to share with the audience during intermission, an offering of fellowship. Suddenly, a drumroll resounds. Actors in 18th-century peasant garb eme ...