The idea of travel through course any programming

A Festival of Avignon devilishly in air time and dramatic: this is how to present this 63eédition concocted by the tandem Vincent shoulder - Hortense Archambault. With their "citizen of the world" invited artist, playwright Lebanese-Quebec Wajdi Mouawad. It will be question of the world, theatre world, much like talking now in roman-world literature, epic and without borders. After Romeo Castelluci (the 2008 guest), Director of the mystery, the unknown, large maker of images, Wajdi Mouawad symbolizes a return to narrative. His theatre, full of stories and history, is the bridge between the culture of his country of origin and his adopted country - mixing eastern storytelling and very built North American narrative.

This "global" conscience of the world and the concerns it raises will animate the high places of the festival. Amos Gitaď opens the ban tomorrow evening with the "war of the sons of light against the sons of darkness" in the natural Theatre of the career of Boulbon (until July 13) - an adaptation in "CinemaScope" of the "Jewish war" against the Romans (75-79) of Flavius Josephus, who poses the problems of the eye of the defeated, of treason (with Jeanne Moreau in soloist). On Wednesday, Wajdi Mouawad who will create the event with the representation in the Court of honour of the Palace of the Popes from three parts of its cycle is "The blood of promises", variations on the identity, exile, return to the country, the legacy: "Coast", "Fire", "Forests" - water, fire, Earth, three elements which will merge in ten hours of heroic spectacle (until 12). Wajdi Mouawad will present the fourth part, "Skies", "counterpoint" to the other three, that he created specially for Avignon, in a closed place (Park of the exhibitions of Castle-white 18-29). Only 250 spectators will be able to live every night this disturbing huis clos, surrounded by spies trying to foil a terrorist plot.

After Wajdi Mouawad is Krzysztof Warlikowski Polish stage director who will invest the Court of honour with "(A) pollonia" (16-19). The red thread is the sacrifice of a Polish, executed by the nazis during the second world war for trying to save 25 Jewish children. Starting a new of Hannah Krall, playwright has built a learned Assembly of texts - by Euripides and Aeschylus to Jonathan Littell - referring to barbarism, resistance, the painful legacy. Baroque, tumultuous, extreme, viewers may get overturned this tragic Kaleidoscope.

The crisis in the Court

Barely time to blow: Johan Simons and Paul Koek, masters of the theatres in Ghent and Leiden, will discuss economic crises - yesterday and today - through "Casimir & Caroline" of Odön von Horvath (died 1938), play-puzzle which is located in a fun fair in Munich, during the great depression of the 1930s (from 23 to 29). A detonating version, where the two heroes will be interpreted by young people, but by quadras, where the decor - a gigantic five-story scaffolding-, due to the designer German Bert Neuman, married with Audacity the verticality of the Court of honour. Casimir will be anything but an unemployed resigned - rather a flying the full of energy. Tell the world and its cruelty, it is not be covered with ashes, and cry. The theatre-world must be "consolation", the vector of hope.

This return to the narrative for this 63eédition, led to a pas de deux with cinema. Therefore include Amos Gitai, Israeli Director, on the boards (or rather on the rocks) the career of Boulbon; but also Christophe Honoré, in a strange Theatre Opera "Angelo, tyrant of Padua" by Victor Hugo. In parallel, the part film of the festival (in the Utopia rooms) will be particularly dynamic, this year, with many cycles and previews.

The idea of "travel" through course any programming. Journey back in time - the contemporary epics faced Greek tragedy (Warlikowski, but also Joël Jouanneau with "Under the eye of Oedipus") and to the authors "intranquilles" of the 20th century (Horvath, Thomas Bernhard, Fernando Pessoa). Travel in space, with restless artists, always the foot between two cities and two worlds. Bubbling and without border, Avignon vintage 2009 should show the vitality of the theatre. Its ability to reinvent itself in the urgency of a world which excited - without ever cutting the invisible thread that binds the founding myths of the ancient tragedy.

63rd festival d'Avignon

7-July 29,

Rens.: 04.90.14.14.60, location: 04.90.14.14.14,