EN FRANCAIS: Nasi Voutsas, left, and Bertrand Lesca in “L’Addition” by Tim Etchells, part of the “Seuls en Scene” French Theater Festival at Princeton University September 12 to 22. (Photo by Christophe Raynaud de Lage)

Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Arts, Department of French and Italian, and L’Avant-Scène will present the 13th edition of Seuls en Scène French Theater Festival from September 12 to 22 at venues across the University’s campus. Most performances and talks will be in French, some with English supertitles. All events are free and open to the public, however tickets are required for performances.

Seuls en Scène ushers in the 24th season of L’Avant-Scène, a French theater troupe of Princeton students. It also celebrates professional theatrical achievements from the past year: many of the invited artists to Seuls en Scène are prominent contributors to contemporary theater in France. The festival is organized by Florent Masse, professor of the practice in the Department of French and Italian and artistic director of L’Avant-Scène, and presented in collaboration with the 53rd Edition of Festival d’Automne in Paris and new partner Festival d’Avignon.

Highlighing Seuls en Scène’s new partnership with Festival d’Avignon, a conversation with former Festival d’Avignon Director Hortense Archambault and current Director Tiago Rodrigues kicks off the festival in French on September 12 at 4:30 p.m. in East Pyne, Room 010.

Following on September 13 and 14 at 8 p.m. in the Wallace Theater at the Lewis Arts complex is L’Addition by Tim Etchells. This small-scale touring show from the 2023 Festival d’Avignon focuses on a customer who orders a drink and things go awry. This show will be performed in French with English supertitles in the Wallace Theater.

In addition to the new partnership with the Festival d’Avignon, Seuls en Scène continues its partnership with Festival d’Automne in Paris. Since 1972, the Festival d’Automne à Paris has been assisting artists internationally by producing and presenting their work in contemporary theatre, music, dance, visual arts and cinema at cultural venues throughout Paris. L’Avant-Scène anticipates a full year of programming with Masse planning to direct Le Tartuffe by Molière with performances on October 31 through November 2 in the Choi Glass Box Theater of Yeh College, and Bérénice by Jean Racine on December 6 and 7 in the Rocky/Mathey Theater.

Performances and conversations at various venues follow throughout the festival. Tickets are free and required for all of the above performances and available at tickets.princeton.edu. Conversation events are also free but do not require tickets.