Who is theatre for ?

Picasso once said ‘if we know exactly what we want to do, why on earth should we do it ?’ The system of subsidies requires that live performing arts creators fill out files, write down what they intend to produce, define their artistic gestures and receive visits from experts. For Philippe Fenwick, public theatre has become a ‘club of good students’ which functions according to self-satisfaction and habit, and is an infernal machine which has a tendency to stagnate. Jean Vilar said ‘give me another society and I will make you another theatre.’ Even though society has changed since the 1980s, deemed the ‘golden age’ of the public theatre in France, today theatre is no longer a reflection of society. Philippe Fenwick, an actor in this system, mentions a few solutions in favour of contemporary creation which will resonate with everyone.