Foreword

Foreword • Once again in this issue of Modern Drama, our customary range of critical studies is extended by a more impressionistic piece by a practicing theatre artist - in this case lean-Louis Barrault, one of the contemporary theatre's foremost directors. Throughout most of a long career that began with his acting debut under Charles Dullin in 1931, Barrault has remained one of the most exciting forces of renewal in the French theatre. Brought to the Comedie-Franc;aise by Copeau in 1940, he enjoyed some of his greatest acting triumphs there, including his legendary portrayal of Rodrigue in Le Cid. When he and his wife, Madeleine Renaud, left the Comedie six years later (though, as he insists in the present article, "one never leaves it completely") it was to form their own company. Its genesis was auspicious: the opening production of Barrault's famous Theatre Marigny, Andre Gide's translation of Hamlet, gave Barrault one of the most memorable successes of his career in the title role. As a director, Barrault has continued to mingle classical productions of Moliere, Racine, and Shakespeare with work on new plays by modern French and foreign playwrights, most notably Paul Claude!. In the piece which follows, written in connection with his production of Le Bourgeois. Gentilhomme for this year's Moliere tricentenary, Barrault offers us his views on the perennial problem of "modernizing" a classic. One hears again echoes from his brilliant Reflections on the Theatre, with its belief in the ,"nourishing" value of a classical repertory coupled with its insistence that, while "a classic should always be respected," it is necessary to "shake the classics about a bit at the risk, even, of making mistakes" because such "shaking brings new life to a classic, spring-cleans it, rejuvenates it." As will be the case from time to time in similar instances, Barrault's article and the commentary which accompanies it appear here in French. For 111 112 EDITORIAL an English translation, readers are invited to turn to page 217 in the present issue. Some further remarks on future editorial policies might conveniently be added here. In response to a growing need, Modern Drama plans to revive its earlier practice of publishing an Annual Bibliography of studies published in our field (excluding reviews of performances and other strictly theatrical material) during the preceding year. The first such bibliography, covering material published since 1972, is tentatively scheduled to appear in the June 1974 issue. Professor Charles A. Carpenter has kindly agreed to undertake the compilation of the bibliography. For anyone wishing to send offprints or titles for inclusion in the listing, his address is: Department of English, State University of New York, Binghamton, New York 13901. Secondly, although the practice ofmaking each December issue ofModern Drama a "special" issue devoted to a specific topic has by no means been abandoned, the forthcoming December issue will be "special" in a different sense. In order to simplify subscription and administrative procedures, Modern Drama will change to a calendar-year basis by publishing a double issue this December (Volume XVI, nos. 3 and 4), thereby allowing the March 1974 issue to become Volume XVII, no. 1. In so doing we will succeed in pleasing our publisher as well as delighting a host of contributors whose accepted articles have languished too long in that Slough of Despond known as Backlog. Finally, the inevitable. While the price of Modern Drama has continued to range well below that of comparable scholarly and critical journals, costs of printing and distribution have risen steadily. Having no intention of sacrificing either the scope or the high quality of the journal, we therefore have no alternative but to increase the subscription rate to $9.00, Canadian or U.S. funds, allowing a special rate of $6.00 to individuals for bona fide personal use, effective with the March 1974 issue. We trust that this increase, which places Modern Drama on a level more closely comparable to similar journals in this respect, will be met by our subscribers with understanding. FREDERICK J. MARKER Editor ...