Théâtre Alfred Jarry

theater, France

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June 18, 2026

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The Théâtre Alfred Jarry was an experimental theatre founded in Paris in 1926 by Antonin Artaud, Roger Vitrac, and Robert Aron. It aimed to explore new theatrical forms and was a precursor to the Theatre of the Absurd. The theatre presented four programs before disbanding in 1929.12

The theatre is named after Alfred Jarry, a French writer known for his satirical farce Ubu roi (1896). Jarry's work, characterized by grotesque humor and wild satire, influenced avant-garde theatre. His play Ubu roi caused a scandal for its vulgarity and absurdities, symbolizing the crassness of the bourgeoisie. Jarry also developed a logic of the absurd called 'pataphysique'.2

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Theatre of Cruelty
…and Robert Aron founded the Théâtre Alfred Jarry in 1926; they presented four programs, including August Strindberg’s A Dream Play and Vitrac’s Victor, before disbanding in 1929. Between 1931 and 1936 Artaud formulated a theory for what he called a Theatre of Cruelty in a series of essays published in…
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…and Robert Aron founded the Théâtre Alfred Jarry in 1926; they presented four programs, including August Strindberg’s A Dream Play and Vitrac’s Victor, before disbanding in 1929. Between 1931 and 1936 Artaud formulated a theory for what he called a Theatre of Cruelty in a series of essays published in…
Read More