Mercer Times

A weekend of festivities is planned to celebrate the 20th anniversary of L’Avant-Scène, Princeton University’s French Theater Workshop, from April 18-20. Florent Masse, professor of the practice in French and Italian and founder of the program, has led Princeton undergraduate and graduate students in performing full-length plays in French for the past two decades.

The celebration includes a revival of L'Avant-Scène's first full production, Georges Feydeau’s farce “Le Dindon,” which was first staged on campus in 2004. The play will run at the Wallace Theater in the Lewis Center for the Arts, accompanied by public conversations and panels featuring esteemed guests such as Rima Abdul Malak, former French Minister of Culture, and filmmaker Alice Diop.

L'Avant-Scène has been a significant part of the Princeton community since its inception in 2004, producing an average of four full-length plays each year. Laurent Pueyo, an alumnus who participated in the program for five years while pursuing his Ph.D. in mechanical and aerospace engineering, expressed the impact of L'Avant-Scène, saying, “With L'Avant-Scène, I found a family outside of my academic life. It gave me a place to forget about the ups and downs of research.”

Mina Morova, an alumni president who majored in comparative literature, highlighted the intellectual challenge of performing in plays by great French writers, stating, “Learning the lines and performing in plays challenged me to digest and decipher the meanings behind the lines.”

Partnerships with various institutions have enabled the expansion of Princeton’s French theater community, offering interdisciplinary courses, trips abroad, and an annual festival called Seuls en Scène, dedicated to bringing French theater-makers to the campus every September.

Florent Masse, in addition to leading L’Avant-Scène, teaches the course "French Theater Workshop" and organizes an annual trip to Paris where students train with members of the Conservatoire National Supérieur d'Art Dramatique (CNSAD) and attend plays.

The weekend's festivities promise a blend of nostalgia, intellectual stimulation, and artistic celebration for all involved.