Blin, Roger

(1907-1984)

   actor, stage director

   Born in Neuilly-sur-seine, Roger Blin was the friend of antonin artaud, and acted in his play Les Cenci (1935); he also worked with Jacques prévert in the groupe octobre (a revolutionary theater company of the years 1934-35) and with jean-louis bar-rault (Numance, 1937; La Faim, 1939). Recognized at the time of his first stage direction (La Sonate des spectres by strindberg, 1949), Blin helped to develop the idea that the stage director was the creative source of theatrical entertainment through interpretation and presentation of scripts and aspects of staging. As his reputation grew, the most serious and demanding of contemporary authors entrusted him with their works: Arthur Adamov (La Grande et la petite Manœuvre, 1950; La Parodie, 1952), Samuel Beckett (En attendant Godot, 1953; Fin de partie, 1957; La Dernière bande, 1960, Oh les beuxjours, 1963), jean genet (Les Nègres, 1959; Les Paravents, which caused a scandal when it was produced in 1966).