Électre, The French and Swiss productions, by Gérard Desarthe and Jean Badin A testimony

We relate the events and survey the publications relating to two productions of Électre with a very different conception, one political, the other psychoanalytic, but materially similar (a touring production with a sunken stage) and with the same aim (for a student audience). The approach can be summarized by four principles: the audience gaze from above, the splicing of the text, the intimacy of the production, and an educational use of the theater. The productions provided an exceptional experience of a truly national and popular theater.