Réinventer le Silence :

sur l’introduction des fonds sonores dans le théâtre français du dernier tiers du XXe siècle

Abstract

Taking both a theoretical and historical approach, this article looks at the reinvention of silence on French theatre stages in the last third of the twentieth century, through the creation of what have variously been called inhabited silence, soundscape or sound atmosphere. Drawing on the testimonies of sound designers André Serré and François Leymarie, who worked with Patrice Chéreau and Joël Pommerat respectively, this paper seeks to analyse the dramaturgical and aesthetic challenges they were assigned. It establishes links between the different practices and examines the paradoxical status of these background sounds: however discreet they may be, for those who create them they have the essential function of replacing an abstraction - the silence of the stage - and creating a chosen acoustic framework for listening to the performance.