The Seuls en Scene French Theater Festival returns to Princeton University from September 21 through 29.
It is the seventh year of the one-of-a-kind regional series of free performances and presentations featuring established and emerging French writers, actors, and directors.
Performances take place in several university venues and are presented in English or in French with English subtitles.
The 2018 events are as follows:
“Harlem Quartet,” French performer and director Elise Vigier’s stage adaptation of American writer James Baldwin’s novel “Just Above My Head.” It follows the lives of several members of New York City’s Harlem section in the 1950s and 1960s — a time and place that creates a background rife with gospel music, sex, war, and the struggle for civil rights.
French with English subtitles. Whitman College Theater. Friday, September 21, 7 p.m., and Sunday, September 23, 8 p.m.
“Portrait de Ludmilla en Nina Simone,” a musical portrait of the late jazz/soul singer and Civil Rights advocate. Stage and film actress Ludmilla Dabo performs the title role and is accompanied by the work’s creator, playwright, and guitarist David Lescot.
French with English subtitles. Whitman College Theater. Friday, September 21, 9 p.m., and Sunday, September 23, 6 p.m.
“Claire, Anton et eux” (Clair, Anton, and them) is the Paris National Conservatory for Dramatic Arts’ theatrical evocation of the memories of 14 young actors asked to share the stories of their ancestors through the centuries.
French with English subtitles. Wallace Theater, Lewis Arts Complex. Saturday, September 22, 2 and 8 p.m.
“Dough” is the reading of a new work by writer, musician, and actor David Lescot. The work is described as “a choral text with a frantic and hectic rhythm” and addresses the “relationship with money from early childhood to adulthood.”
In English. Hearst Dance Theater, Lewis Arts Complex. Monday, September 24, 7 p.m.
“Gonzo Conference” is choreographer, performer, director, and visual artist Fanny de Chaille’s exploration of rock music, theater, authenticity, and freedom.
In French, English synopsis provided. Donald G. Drapkin Studio, Lewis Arts Complex. Tuesday and Wednesday, September 25 and 26, 8 p.m.
And “Doreen” is writer, director, and actor David Geselson’s treatment of journalist-philosopher Andre Gorz’s confession of his love to his terminally ill wife and their decision to die together.
In French. Matthews Acting Studio, 185 Nassau Street. Friday and Saturday, September 28 and 29, 8 p.m.
The festival is presented by Lewis Center for the Arts, L’Avant Scene, the Department of French and Italian at Princeton University, and Cultural Services of the French Embassy.
All events are free and open to the public but reserved tickets are recommended at tickets.princeton.edu.
