Reflections on the Theatre

Jean Genet’s The Screens , hailed by many to be Genet’s masterpiece, was staged in Paris in 1966 by the Jean-Louis Barrault-Madeleine Renaud Company. This epic 62-character play almost defies staging and, written at the height of the Algerian War, was initially considered unperformable in France due to the violent political reactions it was bound to arouse. It is one of the most original examples of the avant-garde theatre of the 1960s.

The Barrault-Renaud production was directed by Roger Blin, one of Europe’s most respected actors and directors, who was the first to stage all of Samuel Beckett’s early plays.

During the several months of rehearsals which Genet attended, he wrote a series of letters and notes to Roger Blin giving his views on every aspect of The Screens ’ staging. His comments deal with the details of that play and that production, but also transcend them. What these letters add up to is a precise and fascinating compilation of Jean Genet’s concept of the theatre.

This volume also contains two essays by Genet, originally published in the French periodical Un Tel , giving his striking and highly personal views on life and art.