The Paris-based theater company Théâtre de la Ville returns in the Midwest with their trademark innovative artistry, balancing fierce creative spirit with reverence for the classics. The troupe is thrilled to bring to Midwest audiences two of their acclaimed productions, conceived and directed by Artistic Director Emmanuel Demarcy-Mota: Ionesco Suite and Six Charachers Searching for An Author.

Ionesco Suite , presented at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater in its its only US engagement, celebrates the work of maverick avant-garde playwright Eugène Ionesco with a whirlwind montage encapsulating seven of his plays, brimming with wicked humor and hard-hitting themes.

Presented at the University Musical Society in Ann Arbor, Luigi Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an Author, which dates from 1921, is an absurdist metatheatrical play about the relationship between authors and their characters.

Théâtre de la Ville was created in 1968 to present “art in the diversity of its theatrical, choreographic, and musical forms,” as stated by its founder, Jean Mercure. It has over the years become one of the most important cultural landmarks in Paris, mostly through its multidisciplinary and international dance and music productions. With its two venues—a 1,000-seat hall in the heart of Paris and the more intimate 400-seat theater in Montmartre—Théâtre de la Ville offers close to 100 different programs each season. Its current artistic director Emmanuel Demarcy-Mota, the youngest ever to be appointed to the position, has further diversified Théâtre de la Ville’s audience by introducing productions in foreign languages, educational activities, and programs for young people.

The US Tour is supported by the French-Amercan Fund for Contemporary Theater, Mairie de Paris, Institut Français, Vivendi and the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States.

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