Association Française pour le Rayonnement du Théâtre du Château de Drottningholm

Lecture

Friday 7^th of September – 11h30

The Académie Desprez presents a lecture about The Reforms of Lekain during the symposium on Friday 7th of September 2001.

The most important name to be quoted when speaking of Lekain is the name of Voltaire. The patronage of the most famous playwright of the XVIII^th century had a striking influence on the actor. The texts Lekain spoke at his débuts at the Comédie-Française, and on which most of his success was based, were written by Voltaire. The writer gave his favourite actor beautiful roles; but what Lekain brought to Voltaire is more than a voice and a body to give life to the creations of the poet. Their lifetime relationship may have been as beneficial to the writer as to the actor, himself passionate about the theatre as a medium for bringing new ideas among people.

Lekain was not gifted, as the XVIII^th century would understand it: his figure was not handsome. But his acting, full of art, had a big effect on the audience, and he was soon associated, in his aim at reforming the French stage, with other famous actors of the time: Brizzard, M^lle Clairon and M^lle Dumesnil. Lekain made many efforts to share his new style with other actors of the Comédie-Française. Though, his reforms, so original, were not directly imitated by the other members of the company, and he seems to have remained isolated in its own time. It is only later that people, and among them Talma as the most famous, will claim affinity.

Lekain developed his reforms in many directions, not only concerning the acting, but also what surrounds the actor: costume, scenery, relation with the audience. Not only has he been one of the great reformers of the theatre, but also one of the first aware of the necessity of considering theatre as a whole.

Original documents kindly photographed by Frans Muller.

 Video projection