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The Last Teachings 1957-1971

MSD spent some time as an artistic advisor for the Comédie Française where he was in charge of the tragedies. He then became a general inspector of the shows under the direction of Pierre Moinot, with whom he worked for the Fourth Plan, on a project of the National Center for the training of the cultural attachés. The project was long lasted.

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Canadian National Theater School
He was then hired as an artistic advisor for the Canadian Theater School and he participated in the creation of the Canadian National Theater School, a bilingual school which opened in Montreal in 1960. By the way, on the man building of the school, a plaque is dedicated to Suria and MSD.

In 1962, MSD was called to give his opinion on the program of Brussels’s National Dramatic School .

When he worked for the Theater Center of the East, J.D Rockfeller III had asked MSD’s advice for his Lincoln Centre in New York City. Rockfeller intended to create a theater school there, which is why MSD was associated with the creation of the Julliard School, at the Lincoln Centre. He became Head Advisor of the school, gave lectures which would later be published in Theater: The Rediscovery of Style . The General Director of the School asked him to write something for the students. That was how he started Training for the Theater , which was finished by Suria Magito more than ten years after MSD’s death.

In 1961 he was elected as a member of the International Institute of Theater and participated in symposiums in various countries. He gave lectures on the training of actors and of technicians.

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Rehearsal of The Cherry Orchard by the Royal Shakespeare Company
In 1960 MSD had stayed in London for the setting of the opera Oratorio Oedipus Rex by Stravinsky and Jean Cocteau for the Sadler’s Wells Opera Company. For this reason he accepted to join Peter Hall and The Royal Shakespeare Company in 1962 to create a training workshop, dedicated to drama research. For three years, he co-directed the Royal Shakespeare Company with Peter Hall and Peter Brook. In the meantime he directed plays such as The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov and in 1965, Squires Puntila and his Servant Matti by B.Brecht.

julliardThe Drama Division wanted him to become the director of The Julliard School. He refused since he considered that this position should be given to an American. What’s more, due to health problems he was not able to attend the inauguration of the Lincoln Center School in September 1969.

MSD died in London on August, 31st 1971. British professionals paid him numerous tributes while France only mentioned the death of Jacques Duchesne. In December 1997 a street of the 19th Arrondissement between the Rue E. Bollaert and the Boulevard Mac Donald was called the Rue Jacques Duchesne . In January 1997, for the fiftieth anniversary of the Theater Center of the East in Colmar, the Atelier du Rhin and the city of Colmar paid him a tribute by giving his name to the main room of the Théâtre de la Manufacture.
 
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