Theater Club in January

Come join us for the Theater Club at the French Library, a place to read, watch, discuss and recite contemporary and classic French plays with fellow enthusiasts! At the Theater Club, we'll discuss a different play each month and read excerpts aloud to each other. 

This club strives to foster discussion and dialogue around a love of contemporary theater and a chosen play: attendees are wholeheartedly encouraged to come and practice speaking in French. No acting skill required, and no public performances are planned!

Our January meeting features the play Le voyageur sans bagage by Jean Anouilh.

At the end of the First World War, Gaston is found with amnesia. He is taken in by the director of an asylum, who employs him as a gardener. Later he is claimed by several families, including the Renaud family, who insist he return to them. Now a gentle man, Gaston is horrified to discover that the person they claim him to be was a violent and unscrupulous character. He does not recognize himself in their story of a troubled child and adolescent, but the physical evidence on his own body (the scar of a wound inflicted by a former mistress, now wife of his alleged brother) removes all doubts about his family of origin. Unwilling to accept this truth, he rejects that identity and chooses to adopt another of the families who claim a missing member.

Le voyageur sans bagage appeared in 1937 and was Jean Anouilh's first major success. He would go on to be considered one of the giants of 20th century French theater, having written 47 plays including Antigone, L'Alouette, and Becket ou l'Honneur de Dieu.

Club participants are asked to read the play beforehand and bring their copy to the meeting for discussion and recitation. You can purchase your copy online with AbeBooks, or Schoenhofs starting at $3.50, or with a plethora of French bookstores, such as FNAC. A "borrowable" online version of the play is available here (one only needs to create an account with Internet Archive). 

Please, keep in mind that a new link is created for each event and a new registration is needed.