Theatre de la Jeune Lune

Theatre de la Jeune Lune
Name	Theatre de la Jeune Lune
City	Minneapolis
Country	United States
Opened	1978
Closed	2008

Theatre de la Jeune Lune was an avant-garde ensemble theatre company founded in 1978 in Paris and re-established in Minneapolis in 1984, known for ensemble-created adaptations of classic and contemporary texts. The company became a fixture in the American regional theatre scene, drawing attention from critics at the New York Times, the Walker Art Center, and the Guthrie Theater while touring to institutions such as the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club.

History

The group was formed by expatriate artists from France, including founders who trained in schools like the Conservatoire de Paris and worked with companies tied to Comédie-Française traditions and Théâtre National Populaire aesthetics. Relocating to Minneapolis–Saint Paul in the 1980s, the company established a season in venues near the Hennepin Avenue Theatre District and collaborated with local arts institutions such as the Walker Art Center, the Guthrie Theater, and the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. Tours brought the ensemble to festivals and stages including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the Spoleto Festival USA, and the La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, often intersecting with artists associated with Euro Théâtre, Pina Bausch, and directors from Comédie-Française and Théâtre du Soleil lineages. Administrative interactions involved boards with members from organizations like the Bush Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts, while critics from the New York Times, the Star Tribune, and Minnesota Public Radio chronicled their trajectory.

Artistic Vision and Style

The company's aesthetic synthesized influences from practitioners such as Jacques Copeau, Antonin Artaud, Bertolt Brecht, and Jerzy Grotowski, filtered through a lineage including Vsevolod Meyerhold, Peter Brook, and Suzanne Farrell. Their ensemble process echoed methods explored at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, Théâtre du Soleil, and the Royal Shakespeare Company, emphasizing physical theatre akin to work by Grotowski Laboratory alumni and choreographers like Pina Bausch and directors influenced by Peter Stein. Productions often merged dramaturgy linked to Molière, William Shakespeare, Federico García Lorca, and Anton Chekhov with scenography informed by designers from Guthrie Theater collaborations and visual artists who had exhibited at the Walker Art Center and Minneapolis Institute of Art. The company’s practice involved ensemble devising, mask work related to Jacques Lecoq pedagogy, musical composition referencing Igor Stravinsky rhythms, and lighting techniques recalling innovations by Adolphe Appia and Gottfried Honegger.

Productions and Repertoire

The repertoire included adaptations of works by Molière, William Shakespeare, Federico García Lorca, Anton Chekhov, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Franz Kafka, and Bertolt Brecht, as well as original ensemble-devised pieces drawing on texts by Samuel Beckett, Jean Genet, and Jean-Paul Sartre. Signature productions staged in Minneapolis connected to seasons at the Guthrie Theater and festivals at the Walker Art Center and included tours to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, residencies at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, and guest engagements at the Spoleto Festival USA. Collaborations brought in composers and musicians affiliated with ensembles like the Minnesota Orchestra, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and innovators from Ravi Shankar-influenced world music circles, while set and costume designers worked with artisans from the Minneapolis Institute of Art and companies that served the Metropolitan Opera and Lincoln Center.

Key Personnel and Collaborators

Founders and artistic directors trained or associated with institutions including the Conservatoire de Paris, Comédie-Française, and Théâtre National Populaire; they engaged collaborators from the Guthrie Theater, the Walker Art Center, and touring artists from La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Directors who influenced or worked alongside the company included figures from the traditions of Peter Brook, Jerzy Grotowski, Peter Stein, and Pina Bausch, while designers and composers had links to the Metropolitan Opera, the Minnesota Orchestra, and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. The administrative and producing teams interacted with funding and governance networks such as the National Endowment for the Arts, the Bush Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, and the Minnesota State Arts Board.

Awards and Recognition

The company received critical notice from the New York Times, scholarly attention in journals that cover the International Theatre Institute, and regional awards from Minnesota arts organizations including honors associated with the McKnight Foundation and recognition by the Walker Art Center. Touring engagements to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and invitations to present at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club and the Spoleto Festival USA functioned as international endorsements from peers in the fields connected to Royal Shakespeare Company circuits, Comédie-Française networks, and European festival programming.

Closure and Legacy

Financial challenges and debts, involving interactions with local funders and creditors linked to entities like the National Endowment for the Arts and regional foundations, culminated in the company's closure in 2008, which was reported in outlets such as the New York Times and the Star Tribune. Alumni continued working across institutions including the Guthrie Theater, the Walker Art Center, La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, the Royal Shakespeare Company, and companies influenced by Théâtre du Soleil and Comédie-Française, carrying forward ensemble techniques related to Jerzy Grotowski, Jacques Lecoq, and Peter Brook. The company's archives influenced research at university programs such as those in University of Minnesota, New York University, and Yale School of Drama, and its legacy is cited in histories of regional theatre development and festival programming at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Spoleto Festival USA.

Category:Theatre companies in Minnesota