Festival d’Avignon – The Challenges of a Doctoral Documentation
Festival d’Avignon – The Challenges of a Doctoral Documentation

Author(s): Andreea Jighirgiu
Subject(s): Theatre, Dance, Performing Arts, Fine Arts / Performing Arts
Published by: Editura ARTES
Keywords: clowning; Avignon; the Other;
Summary/Abstract: In my doctoral research, even though I chose the scientific route and not the professional one, I sought to expand the theoretical discourse in various applicative areas. In order to understand the springs of clowning and the psycho-somatic structure of the clown actor, I conducted a non-verbal monologue study about the trickster, I participated in physical and online workshops with clowning teachers from the UK and Spain and, last but not least, I conducted together with an interdisciplinary team a niche theatrical laboratory with the theme: the clown condition of some dramatic characters. After all these practical extensions of the research, it was my turn, this summer, to undertake a documentary visit to the Avignon Festival. I had planned to watch shows that clearly contain a clownish expression, but also shows where I could identify it based on criteria defined in my research. Thus, I discovered that getting to Avignon during the festival is an adventure in itself. You risk yourself into a heterogeneous theatrical dynamics that is difficult to assimilate. The diversity of events that take place both in the courtyard of Palais des Papes and in several hundred other locations in the old town, but also in five other neighbouring towns – Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Monteux, Courthézon, Vedène and Noves – surpasses any other festival approach from Europe. This fact complicates the options for any viewer, competent or not. This year, in the official section (July 7-26), there were more than 40 events, some resumed in consecutive days, resulting in several hundred performances, all of them sold out. The “Off” section of the festival had a longer duration (July 7-30) and 1570 performances, each show having multiple performances, some even running the entire duration of the festival. No mathematical calculations are needed to get an idea of the artistic effervescence of those summer days in the south of France.

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