 Michel Saint-Denis
(1897-1971)French actor and theatre directorFrench actor, theatre director and teacher, nephew of Jacques Copeau, Michel Saint-Denis worked with his uncle at the Vieux Colombier and with Les Copiaus in Burgundy.
In 1930 he founded La Compagnie des Quinze, which performed in Paris and many other European cities.
In 1934, in London, he founded the London Theatre Studio. During the Second World War, he was in charge of the French section at the BBC and, under the pseudonym of Jacques Duchesne he directed the daily broadcast "Les Français parlent aux Français" ("The French speak to the French").
In 1946, still in London, he created the Old Vic Centre, which he directed until 1951. In 1953 he became director of the Centre Dramatique de l’Est in Colmar, France, and founded the Ecole Nationale Superieure d’Art Dramatique in Strasbourg, where he stayed until 1957.
In 1958-9 he helped to set up the National Theatre of Canada in Montreal, and then in 1960 collaborated in the creation of the Juilliard Drama Division , in the heart of the Lincoln Center New York, and remained consultant-director until 1969. A member of the International Insitute of Theatre, he participated in various international conferences on the training of actors.
In 1962 he accepted a post for three years as co-director of the Royal Shakespeare Company alongside Peter Brook and Peter Hall. While there he created a drama studio for training and research.
He died in London on 31 July 1971. Tributes were paid to him throughout the English speaking world.
This website, created by his descendants, aims to present his life and work. Look at the "biographies" section for further information |