The Theatre > History

ROGER BLIN : "This was a very liberal time and we felt a sense of euphoria supporting our ideas. President Pompidou was for unbridled modernity. Malraux was also sincerely liberal and had, I think, a great deal of admiration for Genet. We were able to put on the Paravents at the Odéon theatre because we managed to take advantage of a weak point in the system."

In April 1966 scandal erupted with the premiere of the Paravents by Jean Genet, directed by Roger Blin, a play which stirred the passionate feeling surrounding the war in Algeria.

The Petit Odéon was the theatre which Barrault wanted to turn into a "laboratory for unpublished texts, a theatre with the intimacy needed to premiere new works"; it was officially opened in January 1967 with two plays by Nathalie Sarraute.

In May 1968, in the midst of the social and student uprising, Jean-Louis Barrault opened the Odéon to the students. This produced a month of lively occupation which cost Barrault his position when Malraux withdrew his support. "Imagination in power" damaged the theatre which had to close for a few months for extensive renovations. When it opened again, the theatre was granted special status as a centre for experimentation, a testing ground for the different art forms - drama, choreography and opera."