A visit to this theatre promises a special experience. Le Théâtre du Soleil is set on the edge of Bois de Vincennes in East Paris, housed in the building complex of a former munition factory. Since1964, the theatre staff live and work here as a commune; actors and technical employees are paid equal wages. The pre-performance ritual also has not changed: the actors make up and prepare for the show in front of the spectators; at the entrance, tickets are inspected by the world-famous French director Ariane Mnouchkine personally. After forty years of world fame, her Théâtre du Soleil has not lost its power and magnificence; it is free of the mundane, free of trifling details. What it is focusing on instead is the joint course of the human soul and the world. 'The Theatre of Sun' combines acting techniques borrowed from different cultures, the joy of undisguised theatricality and a desire to speak of great and sublime matters. Théâtre du Soleil is keen to unfold gigantic eposes, take us to ancient civilisations and cultures. It is never modest in its aspirations; even the stage time allotted to the productions is always generous: four, five, six hours. The secret of the phenomenon that is Théâtre du Soleil may partly lie in its fascinating lightness; after four hours' worth of watching, the spectator goes back to the real life much invigorated and well rested, fortified with a dose of positive spirit. Ariane Mnouchkine is a theatre genius; the universe she has created is sometimes referred to as children's theatre for grownups, and that certainly has to do with the fact that the great artist has retained her childlike ability to be surprised at things.
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