Jean Vilar

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The grave of Jean Vilar in the family grave on the Cimetière marin in Sète (Hérault).
Jean Vilar (right) at the Avignon Festival in 1967 with Antoine Bourseiller (left) and François Billetdoux.
Entrance gate to the 'Maison Jean Vilar' in Avignon

Jean Vilar (born March 25, 1912 in Sète ; † May 28, 1971 ibid) was a French actor , theater director and theater manager .

Vilar received his training from Charles Dullin at the Théâtre de l'Atelier. There he also began as an actor and director. In 1941 he played in a traveling company and in 1943 founded the Théâtre de Poche Montparnasse. Here he brought out Molière's Don Juan and Strindberg's Dance of Death , among others . In 1945 he had great success with the staging of Eliot's murder in the cathedral at the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier.

In 1947 he founded the Avignon Festival . This event achieved international renown under his leadership. Here Vilar staged numerous classics such as Richard II. (1948/49), Dantons Tod (1948) and, particularly successful, Prince Friedrich von Homburg (1951) with Gérard Philipe . Vilar directed the festival until his death.

In 1951 he also took over the Parisian Théâtre National Populaire (TNP), which he held until 1961. He tried to turn this venue into a popular theater in its original meaning. His target audience were the common people whom he sought to attract through various measures such as low admission prices, special subscription rules, inexpensive meals before the performance, free cloakroom, bus transport and regular discussion panels.

The productions of the Volkstheater were characterized by sparse sets, but elaborate costumes, a lot of music and a performance practice rich in gestures. Vilar performed classics by Chekhov , Pirandello , Kipphardt and Brecht ( Mother Courage and Her Children , The Resistant Rise of Arturo Ui ). He himself took on the title role in Richard II and in The Miser .

In 1969 he staged " Don Carlo " by Giuseppe Verdi in the Arena di Verona .

Filmography as an actor (selection)

  • 1946: Gates of the Night ( Les Portes de la nuit )
  • 1947: The Sharks of Gibraltar ( Les Requins de Gibraltar )
  • 1948: The Bouquinquant brothers ( Les Frères Bouquinquant )
  • 1948: On the Edge of the Abyss ( Carrefour du crime )
  • 1948: jealousy ( Bagarres )
  • 1950: jury court ( Justice est faite )
  • 1952: The Priest's Vow ( Jocelyn )
  • 1956: The Adventures of Till Ulenspiegel ( Les Aventures de Till L'Espiègle )
  • 1971: Raphael the libertine ( Raphaël ou le débauché )

literature

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Vilar, Jean
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French actor, theater director and theater manager
DATE OF BIRTH March 25, 1912
PLACE OF BIRTH Sète
DATE OF DEATH May 28, 1971
Place of death Sète