French Literature Reviews - 2026

A. Ruprecht, Les Théâtres francophones du Pacifique Sud
Theatre and Performance

Alvina Ruprecht, Les Théâtres francophones du Pacifique Sud

Paris: Karthala, coll. "Lettres du Sud", 2017.

336 p.

EAN 9782811117559

26.00 EUR

Publisher's overview:

Following an introduction to Kanaké, a stage performance conceived by Jean-Marie Tjibaou, the book features nineteen interviews with theatre professionals from the French overseas collectivities of the South Pacific (New Caledonia and French Polynesia).

These interviews offer a fresh perspective on what we call "theatre," prompting us to rethink our conventional, Eurocentric understanding of dramatic and stage arts. The result is an extraordinary fusion of living traditions, blending professional training akin to European standards with the ritual practices deeply rooted in these societies.

Several institutions play a vital role in artistic creation and research across these regions, including the Théâtre de l’Île, the Centre d’Art, the Goa Ma Bwarhat Centre in Hienghène, and the Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre in Nouméa, alongside La Maison de la Culture and the Artistic Conservatory of French Polynesia in Papeete.

Jean-Marie Tjibaou’s work, staged by George Dobbelaere, became a landmark event for regional unity. It pioneered connections between a hybrid form of theatre and the principles of theatre anthropology theorized by Richard Schechner and Eugenio Barba. Both scholars, much like Jean-Marie Tjibaou, believed that theatre has the power to transform culture. Consequently, the dramaturgical and theatrical work of this great Kanak leader can be seen as part of the global wave of theatrical innovation during those years of cultural renewal.

Alvina Ruprecht is a theatre critic and Professor Emeritus at Carleton University, affiliated with the Department of Theatre at the University of Ottawa. Her research and publications focus on the theatre of the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, and the South Pacific. Since 2007, she has collaborated with Jean-Michel Martial’s team (L’Autre souffle) on the Inter-Caribbean Repertory, a multilingual publishing project.

Scholarly interest in Francophone regional theatre often engages with the ways postcolonial performance traditions negotiate between imported European staging techniques and indigenous cultural practices. By examining artistic institutions and practitioners across island collectivities, studies in this field highlight how local repertoires redefine conventional dramatic categories. The integration of ritual expressions with professional training reflects broader discussions in performance studies concerning cultural hybridity and the decentralization of theatrical norms away from metropolitan centres. Readers interested in contemporary Pacific arts and postcolonial performance traditions may find this work relevant.

Alvina Ruprecht, author of Les Théâtres francophones du Pacifique Sud, is a theatre critic and Professor Emeritus at Carleton University, affiliated with the Department of Theatre at the University of Ottawa. Her research focuses on the theatre of the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, and the South Pacific, and she has collaborated on the Inter-Caribbean Repertory since 2007.