Avignon Festival

Avignon Festival, founded in July1947 by Jean Vilar with the first production in French of Shakespeare's Richard II in which Vilar himself played the title-role. Productions were presented in the inner court of the papal palace, whose floodlit façade provided an imposing setting. The new festival began modestly, but when in 1951 Vilar was appointed head of the Théâtre National Populaire he was able to use its resources, including its admirable company, and in the 1950s Avignon sprang into prominence with memorable performances by Gérard Philipe in Corneille's Le Cid and Kleist's Prinz Friedrich von Homburg. By 1967 the number of spectators had risen to 150,000 and the 17 official performances were regularly sold out. After his resignation from the TNP in 1963 Vilar continued his association with Avignon until his death in 1971, widening its cultural basis, increasing the official theatres to four, and organizing a number of Fringe activities. There have been many visits from the Comédie-Française, other notable productions including Peter Brook's Mahabharata (1985), Vitez's 12-hour production of Claudel's Le Soulier de satin (1987), and Patrice Chéreau's Hamlet (1988).