An interview with the director, David Furlong. At the Jermyn Street Theatre, 25th July 2006. The British Premiere of The Exchange.
Michael Donley : David, The Exchange is your first directorial work in the Uk ?
David Furlong : In England, yes. I share my life between Paris and London and I worked in France as a director and as part of a devising team. And as an actor of course. But The Exchange represents my first work as an artistic director with my own company.
MD : In the artistic file, you say that you were influenced by the 'méthode Vitezienne'. Can you tell us a few words about it ?
DF : With pleasure. When Antoine Vitez directed the French National Theatre and created the National School of Chaillot -which is where I trained- he brought something very new and special, it was in the eighties. I remember when I watched for the first time some videos of his work - The Mysanthrope, for example - what hit me every time was his way of making the text so modern and contemporary ! And that's precisely what I aim to do myself with ETC with the promotion of french plays in english.
MD : Which leads me to ask you why you chose, as a first work, this play and this writer?
DF : I was looking for a play that could carry the identity of the company, especially for our first show. I had some other ideas, but it became suddenly so obvious : The Exchange was the best. I even took the title for the name of the company.
I had know the play since I was a student. I had always been attracted to it because of the themes of exile... and interbreeding. Those topics are dear to my heart. I was born in Mauritius, I am not really French, but not really British either... You see... Then, I was first attracted to the character of Louis and when I started to research the play in depth, I began to realise that there is a link between Claudel's journey and mine.
MD : What about the translation? ... Did you face some problems in this matter? It's particularly difficult to translate Claudel - especially in English, I think. He said himself in one his first letter to André Gide, that a translated Claudelian play seems like « an opera without music ».
DF : Some problems? Yes, quite a few. Thanks to the Paul Claudel Society, I made contact with Louise Witherell, who lives in the Wisconsin and who did a translation of the play (2nd version) in 1974. She authorized me to use her work which is quite poetic, but... you know, years have passed. I needed something more up to date. Then I discovered an existing translation from New-Zealand, written by France Hervé and Stephen Baine
MD : When ?
DF : In 1997 or 1998. It's true that their translation is more modern, but they made far too many cuts. I wasn't satisfied. In the end I had to create my own version. The two others translations were essentials, of course. I learned a lot while reading them, especially in terms of grammar. But on the contrary, very often, I had to use different words and expressions for the style. As a French speaker who knows English very well, I could be true to the original text. But the support of their very good English was necessary.
MD : If I can quote your artistic file again, I see that that you describe Claudel as a « playwrite of the doubt ». That could be very surprising to some people on this side of the channel - if they ever heard of Claudel - who tend to put him aside as an overconfident writer, full of certainties. I think I see what you mean but can you tell us more about it?
DF : Well, most of the people - and not only here in England - make a big mistake concerning Claudel. Certainly because they only consider the last part of his life when he was a fervent old Christian. However, he was only 25 when he wrote The Exchange !
MD : And you ? How old are you ?
DF : 25 precisely! It was very easy for me to try to imagine his situation and I felt close to him. At my age, he was alone, exiled. But he was a « visionnaire »... He saw things at the time that are now reality. Despite what many people think of him, he was deeply in projection towards the future. Today, for example, he will praise the Internet ! His doubts ?... They were on our civilisation, our western society, he already saw l'ébranlement général des certitudes.
MD : Claudel (...) says that there is two different ways to perform The Exchange: a soft acting, grey, delicate as some "musique de chambre", or a violently, colored, excessiv, almost caricatural game , like a Van Dongen's painting. He added that he had a slight preference for the second option. What about you ?
DF : Oh Yes ! Me too ! In the end, for me, The Exchange is a «feel-good play » ! A piece of clever entertainment ... The directors focus too much on the break-up between Louis and Marthe. But, never the less, the title is not "The break up", but The Exchange . An Exchange that could lead to something else, maybe to something better !
MD : Absolutely ! And it's too often forgotten that it's not a realistic or naturalistic play. It's incredible to say that the is no comical elements !
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