Le Théâtre de Jean Cocteau et l'esthétique du cirque et du music-hall
Institution:
Montpellier 3Disciplines:
Directors:
Abstract EN:
Often stared, rarely considered, the personality and works of jean cocteau have generated many comments. The theatrical part of his works in all its diversity hasn't really aroused the interest of his followers. There are still areas of obscurity around his works covering half the twentieth century. There are many projects and achievements, the memory of which history has lost or changed : more than thirty years after the death of the poet, a page of his theatre's history still remains to be written. From the start, jean cocteau linked the destinies of his theatre to those of the circus and the music-hall : from the adaptation of a midsummer night dream (1913-1915) to orphee (1926) those arts establish a link both technical and thematic between shows equally involving painters such as picasso , jean hugo, irene lagut and musiciens like stravinsly, satie, le groupe des six. True artistics events, the premieres often gave raise to scandals widely reported ans commentated in the current newspapers. The circus and the music-hall were omnipresent in his first works, and were alos elements in the fouding of a theatre mainly visual. However, the circus and music-hall disappeared just as jean cocteau perfected his theatrical technique and elaborated his own mythology. While conserving his past skills the poet went slowly howards a theatre wich didn't give priority to visual aspects : the textual research progressively taking over the scenic research.
Abstract FR:
Souvent devisagees, rarement envisagees, la personne et l'oeuvre de jean cocteau ont suscite de nombreux commentaires. Or la partie theatrale de cette creation aux diverses facettes n'a pas veritablement eveille l'interet des exegetes. D'importances zones d'ombre subsistent autour d'une oeuvre couvrant pourtant toute la premiere moitie du xxeme siecle. Multiples sont les projets et les realisations dont l'histoire a perdu ou transforme la memoire : plus de trente ans apres la mort du poete, une page de l'histoire de son theatre restait encore a ecrire. Jean cocteau a des le debut lie les destinees de son theatre a celles du cirque et du music-hall : de l'adaptation du songe d'une nuit d'ete (1913-1915) a orphee (1926) ces arts etablissent un lien a la fois technique et thematique entre des spectacles ou entrent egalement en scene des peintres (picasso, jean hugo, irene lagut) et des musiciens (stravinsky, satie, le groupe de six). Veritables evenements artistiques, les premieres donnerent souvent lieu a des scandales largement rapportes et commentes par la presse du temps. Omnipresents dans les oeuvres de jeunesse, elements fondateurs d'un theatre essentiellement visuel, le cirque et le music-hall disparaissent au fur et a mesure que jean cocteau perfectionne sa technique theatrale et elabore sa propre mythologie. Tout en conservant les acquis du passe, le poete se tourne peu a peu vers un theatre qui renonce a privilegier les aspects visuels : la recherche textuelle l'emporte progressivement sur la recherche scenique.