Copeau, Jacques

Related Category: Theater: Biographies

(zhäk kôpō´), 1879–1949, French theatrical producer and critic. A founder (1909) and editor (1912–14) of the Nouvelle Revue française, he established the experimental Théâtre du Vieux Colombier in Paris (1913–24) in order to produce poetic drama of artistic worth. Ever in search of a more truthful and direct performance style, Copeau was an influential figure in the modern theater. He encouraged many young dramatists and actors and also introduced the use of symbolic scene design.

See W. Fowlie, Dionysus in Paris (1960).