Grand-Guignol - The French Theatre of Horror

The Theatre du Grand-Guignol in Paris (1897-1962) achieved
a legendary reputation as the Theatre of Horror, a venue
displaying such explicit violence and blood-curdling terror that
a resident doctor was employed to treat the numerous spectators
who fainted each night

Indeed, the phrase grand guignol has entered the language to describe any display of sensational horror

Since the theater closed its doors forty years ago, the genre has been overlooked by critics and theater historians

This book reconsiders the importance and influence of the Grand-Guignol within its social, cultural and historical contexts, and is the first attempt at a major evaluation of the genre as performance

It gives full consideration to practical applications and to the challenges presented to the actor and director

The book also includes oustanding new translations by the authors of ten Grand-Guignol plays, none of which have been previously available in English

The presentation of these plays in English for the first time is an implicit demand for a total reappraisal of the grand-guignol genre, not least for the unexpected inclusion of two very funny comedies

See also companion volume London’s Grand Guignol and the Theatre of Horror by clicking here
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