France has built a supportive environment for theatre-makers and playwrights through sustained state funding of the arts and a nurturing interest from theatre gatekeepers, such as artistic directors, and from audiences. Yet according to our respondents, levels of activity in the field of contemporary plays are shrinking. One expert affirmed that: \u201cThe overall impression one gets from France is that it\u2019s currently not producing many contemporary plays, if compared with the U.K., for example.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our survey showed that 55% of respondents think French theatres \u201cregularly\u201d programme contemporary plays, while 35% think they are \u201csometimes\u201d programmed: that is 90% in total. 20% of respondents are confident that \u201cmost\u201d French audiences and makers are interested in contemporary French plays, while 60% think \u201csome\u201d are and 15% think that they are generally not. Our respondents\u2019 view is that French audiences and theatre-makers are marginally more likely to be interested in contemporary plays in translation, but the distinction is nearly negligible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Contemporary plays in translation are staged relatively frequently in France, including in prominent settings. Data from our survey on the popularity of contemporary playwriting shows that French experts had the fourth lowest confidence level in the popularity of the field among the countries we surveyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the issues that emerged from the conversations we had with experts was that our survey respondents were almost entirely working in the subsidised sector, and their responses did not consider the commercial sector. However, the commercial sector also works with living playwrights. Sadly, the two sectors seldom cooperate, so the present report focuses on the subsidised sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Laureline Le Bris-Cep in Brefs entretiens avec des femmes exceptionnelles <\/em>(Original title: Entrevistes breus amb dones excepcionals<\/em>; English: Brief Interviews with Exceptional Women<\/em>) by Joan Yago. Trans. from Catalan by Laurent Gallardo. Dir. by Laureline Le Bris-Cep, Gabriel Tur and Jean-Baptiste Tur. Produced by Th\u00e9\u00e2tre Ouvert. Th\u00e9\u00e2tre Ouvert, Paris, September 2019. Photo: Christophe Raynaud Delage \u00a9 Fabulamundi<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Anna Bouguereau and Jean-Gabriel Tur in Brefs entretiens avec des femmes exceptionnelles <\/em>(Original title: Entrevistes breus amb dones excepcionals<\/em>; English: Brief Interviews with Exceptional Women<\/em>) by Joan Yago. Trans. from Catalan by Laurent Gallardo. Dir. by Laureline Le Bris-Cep, Gabriel Tur and Jean-Baptiste Tur. Produced by Th\u00e9\u00e2tre Ouvert. Th\u00e9\u00e2tre Ouvert, Paris, September 2019. Photo: Christophe Raynaud Delage \u00a9 Fabulamundi<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
1. Key Players<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Paris is the main centre for theatre and contemporary playwriting culture in France, but activity is highly decentralised to other large and mid-size cities such as Avignon, Strasbourg, Lille, Saint \u00c9tienne, Marseille and Pont-\u00e0-Mousson. Paris boasts three writers\u2019 theatres which mostly programme living authors (Th\u00e9\u00e2tre du Rond Point, Th\u00e9\u00e2tre de La Colline and Th\u00e9\u00e2tre Ouvert), and many venues that programme some new writing alongside other genres; for instance, Od\u00e9on\u2013Th\u00e9\u00e2tre de l\u2019Europe; Th\u00e9\u00e2tre 13; Le Cent Quatre; Th\u00e9\u00e2tre de la Cit\u00e9 Internationale; Th\u00e9\u00e2tre Paris-Villette; Th\u00e9\u00e2tre de la Ville; MC93\u2013Bobigny; Les Plateaux Sauvages; Th\u00e9\u00e2tre de la Bastille; Th\u00e9\u00e2tre La Bruy\u00e8re; Th\u00e9\u00e2tre de Belleville; Art Studio Th\u00e9\u00e2tre. The Com\u00e9die Fran\u00e7aise occasionally programmes new plays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Important venues around the country include: the Theatre National de Strasbourg; Th\u00e9\u00e2tre National Populaire\u2013Villeurbanne and the Th\u00e9\u00e2tre des C\u00e9lestins in Lyon; the Th\u00e9\u00e2tre du Nord Centre Dramatique National in Lille; the Centre Dramatique National de Reims, the Th\u00e9\u00e2tre Joliette-Minoterie in Marseille; the Th\u00e9\u00e2tre Nanterre\u2013Amandiers; La Manufacture Centre Dramatique National de Nancy; the Com\u00e9die de Saint \u00c9tienne, Chok-The\u00e2tre and L\u2019estancot in Saint \u00c9tienne; the Th\u00e9\u00e2tre 71 in Malakoff; the Th\u00e9\u00e2tre National de Bretagne in Rennes; and the Th\u00e9\u00e2tredelaCit\u00e9 in Toulouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pour ton bien<\/em> (Original title: Per il tuo bene<\/em>; English: For Your Own Good<\/em>) by Pier Lorenzo Pisano. Trans. from Italian by Federica Martucci. Dir. by Tommy Milliot. With Matthias Hejnar, Caroline Menon-Bertheux, Miglen Mirtchev, Adrien Serre, Agn\u00e8s Sourdillon. Staged reading produced by Th\u00e9\u00e2tre Ouvert. Th\u00e9\u00e2tre Ouvert, Paris, May 2018. Photo: Fabulamundi <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
2. Systems and Practical Conventions<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
2.1 Funding and Income Opportunities<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
Playwright fees.<\/strong> According to the majority of our respondents, it is difficult to sustain oneself through playwriting alone in France, and many authors have second jobs in teaching, directing, acting or similar, including some of the most established. Playwrights tend to be paid a fee of between \u20ac2,000 and \u20ac5,000 for a commissioned play, depending on the theatre and on the stage of their career, plus 10% of gross box office intake. If the play has not been commissioned, it is common practice to offer playwrights 10% of box office only. However, French authors can count on funding opportunities offered by the state to support themselves during writing periods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Translator fees.<\/strong> Translators of contemporary plays tend to be paid a fee of between \u20ac500 and \u20ac2,000 for a new translation of a contemporary play that has been commissioned, again depending on the status of the theatre and the playwright, plus a 10% of box office split (30\/70) with the author. If the translation has not been commissioned, it is often offered a share of copyright only.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
State theatre funding.<\/strong> France is one of the largest cultural spenders in the European Union, especially considering absolute numbers (Budapest Observatory). The French central and local governments subsidise a tiered network of theatres in each region and generously supports theatre freelancers, also known as the \u201cintermittents du spectacle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Length of runs and touring<\/strong>. New play productions in France tend to have short to mid-length runs of one or two weeks. Productions often tour to other national venues after the premiere and, sometimes, also to other French-speaking countries, such as Belgium, Switzerland or Qu\u00e9bec.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Play development funding.<\/strong> There are many funding streams supporting thedevelopment of new plays, so it is not necessary for authors to self-fund development work. Authors wanting to take the time to write new work can apply for money via E.U., national, regional and city councils or other state-funded bodies or funds, but a minority of authors do fund these creative periods through private money. The state-backed organisation ARTCENA (previously named Centre National du Theatre) helps theatre-makers, including playwrights, with development funds. The scheme, called Aide \u00e0 la Cr\u00e9ation des Textes Dramatiques, offers cash bursaries for authors and further funding if new plays are staged, and it applies to both contemporary plays written in French and foreign-language plays translated into French. The French Ministry of Culture, the Fondation Beaumarch\u00e9, the SACD (Societ\u00e9 des Auteurs et des Compositeurs Dramatiques) and the Centre National du Livre also offer support for writers to develop new work. La Chartreuse in Villneuve, near Avignon, provides free spaces for authors to write intensively for short periods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Exchange with other media.<\/strong> French playwrights sometimes write for TV, film or radio, and the exchange between media is common but not the norm. Contemporary plays are often programmed on France Culture radio station, which regularly commissions new radio plays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fen\u00eatre<\/em> (English title: Windows<\/em>) by Ay\u015fe Bayramo\u011flu. Trans. from Turkish by Selin Alt\u0131parmak. Dir. by Hubert Colas. With Etienne Galharague, Louise Guillaume. Staged reading produced by La Mousson d\u2019\u00e9t\u00e9. La Mousson d\u2019\u00e9t\u00e9 2019. Photo: Eric Didym \u00a9 Fabulamundi<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
2.2 Gatekeeping and Support Structures<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
Gatekeepers.<\/strong> Artistic directors of venues, companies and festivals play a big part in selecting new plays for production. Some big venues have an artistic advisor or dramaturg who is in charge of selecting plays, or, sometimes, the shortlisting process is taken over by reading committees. Literary departments attached to venues, whose task it is to select writers and plays for production, exist only in very few institutions, such as Th\u00e9\u00e2tre Ouvert, la Colline, La Manufacture\/La Mousson d\u2019\u00c9t\u00e9, TNS, Com\u00e9die Fran\u00e7aise and Rond Point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reading committees.<\/strong> Reading committees are a particularly widespread model in France: these are advisory panels attached to theatre institutions, publishers, venues and festivals, whose job it is to scout new plays, both in French and in translation, for production, publication or translation. Reading committees often partner with one another to ensure they keep each other informed or work together to support authors. According to some experts, however, reading committees have limited influence over what is actually staged. The Eurodram network, which was founded in France, also functions as a reading committee, with national reading committees now scattered around Europe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maison Antoine Vitez.<\/strong> France is unique in Europe for having an institution specifically dedicated to the translation of foreign plays into French, namely the Maison Antoine Vitez (MAV). This extraordinary institution, entirely supported by the Ministry of Culture and Communication, provides funding, training, talks and general assistance to theatre translators and foreign authors. The Maison Antoine Vitez supports fifteen new play translations from foreign languages into French every year with around \u20ac2,500 each, selected by language committees and a panel of theatre-makers. The Institut Fran\u00e7ais, which is also funded by the Ministry of Culture and by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, promotes French culture and francophony around the world, including some translations of French plays into other languages. The SACD also offers funding streams specifically targeting the translation of new plays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
La Maison sur Monkey Island<\/em> (Original title: Das Haus auf Monkey Island<\/em>; English: The House on Monkey Island<\/em>) by Rebekka Kricheldorf. Trans. from German by Leyla-Claire Rabih and Frank Weigand. Dir. by Mathieu Bertholet. With Eric Berger, Nicolas Chupin, Marie-Sohna Cond\u00e9, Alexiane Torr\u00e8s. Staged reading produced by La Mousson d\u2019\u00e9t\u00e9. La Mousson d\u2019\u00e9t\u00e9 25th anniversary edition, 2020. Photo: Boris Didym \u00a9 Fabulamundi<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Agencies.<\/strong> Commercial literary agencies that promote playwrights are not a common model in France and, as a result, most French authors do not have an agent whose task it is to represent them. The SACD acts on behalf of authors to collect copyright fees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Initiating a production.<\/strong> The most likely way for new play productions to be initiated is for directors to commission new plays or, alternatively, for playwrights to pitch plays to directors or companies. Less frequently, venues or producers commission or select new plays from writers. In terms of making productions of a play in translation happen, the most likely pathways are either venues sourcing new plays via French directors, or developing relationships with foreign playwrights or directors, or translators pitching translations of new plays to venues and directors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prizes.<\/strong> The most prestigious prizes for contemporary playwrights in France are the Moli\u00e8re Prize for Francophone Living Author; the Grand Prix de la Litt\u00e9rature Dramatique; the Grand Prix du Th\u00e9\u00e2tre of the Acad\u00e9mie fran\u00e7aise; the SACD Prize; the prize of the Journ\u00e9es de Lyon des auteurs de Th\u00e9\u00e2tre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
La musique et le mal<\/em> (Original title: Musica y mal<\/em>; English: Music and Evil<\/em>) by Lola Blasco. Trans. from Spanish (Castillan) by Clarice Plasteig. Dir. Claudia Stavisky. With Tamara Al Saadi, Maud Le Grevellec, Catherine Matisse. Music: Philippe Thibaut. Staged reading produced by La Mousson d\u2019\u00e9t\u00e9. La Mousson d\u2019\u00e9t\u00e9 25th anniversary edition, 2020. Photo: Boris Didym \u00a9 Fabulamundi<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
2.3 Education and Press<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
Higher Education and Other Training.<\/strong> At higher education level, practical playwriting courses are available at drama schools and universities, leading to qualifications in playwriting. The most prestigious institutions offering them are the \u00c9cole of the Th\u00e9\u00e2tre National de Strasbourg (TNS); the \u00c9cole Nationale Superieure des Arts et Techniques du Th\u00e9\u00e2tre (ENSATT) in Lyon; the \u00c9cole of the Th\u00e9\u00e2tre du Nord in Lille; the \u00c9cole of the Com\u00e9die de Saint-Etienne; the \u00c9cole Superieure d\u2019Art Dramatique (ESAD) in Paris; and the Conservatoire National Superieur d\u2019Art Dramatique (CNSAD), also in Paris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
University theatre departments also offer BA and MA courses in playwriting, directing and dramaturgy, which include some practice, such as the Sorbonne Nouvelle-Paris 3; Universit\u00e9 Paris Ouest Nanterre; Universit\u00e9 Grenoble Alpes. Short professional-level courses and development opportunities are offered by institutions such as La Mousson d\u2019\u00c9t\u00e9, Th\u00e9\u00e2tre Ouvert and La Chartreuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Publishing.<\/strong> Contemporary plays by established and emerging authors are regularly published in France and they are also very well distributed in both independent and chain bookshops. There are many publishers that specialise in theatre, including in texts by living authors and plays in translation. The most prestigious and best distributed publishers are: L\u2019Arche; Actes Sud Papiers; Les Solitaires Intempestifs; \u00c9ditions Th\u00e9\u00e2trales; \u00c9ditions Espaces 34; \u00c9ditions Quartett; and \u00c9ditions Th\u00e9\u00e2tre Ouvert\/Tapuscrits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Press.<\/strong> Articles about contemporary plays are not very frequent in the general press, such as Le Monde<\/em>, Lib\u00e9ration<\/em> and Le Figaro<\/em>. Culture and theatre magazines are very popular in France. Theatre-focused magazines tend to cover contemporary playwriting more often: Th\u00e9\u00e2tre\/Public<\/em> (quarterly); Alternatives Th\u00e9\u00e2trales<\/em> (published three times a year); Frictions<\/em> (published three times a year); L\u2019Avant Sc\u00e8ne Th\u00e9\u00e2tre<\/em> (20 issues per year); La Terrasse<\/em> (monthly); Th\u00e9\u00e2tral magazine<\/em> (bimonthly), Incises<\/em> (yearly); lestroiscoups.fr <\/em>(online news and reviews), La Sc\u00e8ne<\/em>; Le Piccolo<\/em> (for children\u2019s theatre practitioners); Th\u00e9\u00e2tres<\/em> (quarterly); Parages<\/em> (published twice a year by the TNS); UBU Sc\u00e8nes d\u201dEurope<\/em> (bilingual French and English, published three times a year). Online publications include: Th\u00e9\u00e2tre contemporain.net<\/em> (practical information, videos and reviews website); Sceneweb.fr<\/em> (daily theatre news).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Pr\u00e9montr\u00e9s Abbey in Pont-\u00e0-Mousson, La Mousson d\u2019\u00e9t\u00e9 festival venue. Photo: Eric Didym \u00a9 Fabulamundi<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
3. Advice for Foreign Playwrights<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHave your work translated into English (or better, into French with a good translation) and then send it to the most influential reading committees in France to get you work selected and produced by them (those committees include: Artcena, La Mousson d\u2019\u00c9t\u00e9 in Pont-\u00e0-Mousson, Th\u00e9\u00e2tre Ouvert in Paris, Th\u00e9\u00e2tre national de Strasbourg, Montevideo in Marseille, and La Com\u00e9die-Fran\u00e7aise in Paris).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSend your plays to the local partners of Fabulamundi (Mousson d\u2019\u00c9t\u00e9 and Th\u00e9\u00e2tre Ouvert for France) or get in touch with a translator at the Maison Antoine Vitez, or translate it into French and send it to reading committees (Rond-Point, Theatre de la Colline, de Strasbourg . . .).\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSend your text to La Maison Antoine Vitez and to publishing companies such as L\u2019Arche or les \u00c9ditions Th\u00e9\u00e2trales.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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