André Obey
Encyclopedia
André ObeyAndré Obey (8 May 1892 at Douai
, France
- 11 April 1975 at Montsoreau
, near the Loire River) was a prominent French playwright during the inter-war years, and into the 1950s.
He began as a novel
ist and produced an autobiographical
novel about his adolescence
le Joueur de triangle (The Triangle Player). After his meeting with Jacques Copeau
, he devoted himself completely to dramatic works. In 1945 Obey became provisional general administrator of the Comédie-Française
. He was made full general administrator in 1946, and resigned in 1947 after just under a year's service.
Obey's play Le Viol de Lucrèce was drawn on by Ronald Duncan
for the libretto
of Benjamin Britten
's opera The Rape of Lucretia
.
Obey served as general administrator of the Comédie-Française
, in a provisional capacity from October 1945 until 6 April 1946, then with full powers until his resignation on 5 February 1947.
Douai
-Main sights:Douai's ornate Gothic style belfry was begun in 1380, on the site of an earlier tower. The 80 m high structure includes an impressive carillon, consisting of 62 bells spanning 5 octaves. The originals, some dating from 1391 were removed in 1917 during World War I by the occupying...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- 11 April 1975 at Montsoreau
Montsoreau
Montsoreau is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.The Château de Montsoreau is located in the commune.-See also:*Communes of the Maine-et-Loire department...
, near the Loire River) was a prominent French playwright during the inter-war years, and into the 1950s.
He began as a novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist and produced an autobiographical
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
novel about his adolescence
Adolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
le Joueur de triangle (The Triangle Player). After his meeting with Jacques Copeau
Jacques Copeau
Jacques Copeau was an influential French theatre director, producer, actor, and dramatist. Before he founded his famous Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier in Paris, he wrote theater reviews for several Parisian journals, worked at the Georges Petit Gallery where he organized exhibits of artists' works...
, he devoted himself completely to dramatic works. In 1945 Obey became provisional general administrator of the Comédie-Française
Comédie-Française
The Comédie-Française or Théâtre-Français is one of the few state theaters in France. It is the only state theater to have its own troupe of actors. It is located in the 1st arrondissement of Paris....
. He was made full general administrator in 1946, and resigned in 1947 after just under a year's service.
Obey's play Le Viol de Lucrèce was drawn on by Ronald Duncan
Ronald Duncan
Ronald Duncan was a writer, poet and playwright, now best known for preparing the libretto for Benjamin Britten's opera The Rape of Lucretia, first performed in 1946....
for the libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
of Benjamin Britten
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
's opera The Rape of Lucretia
The Rape of Lucretia (opera)
The Rape of Lucretia is an opera in two acts by Benjamin Britten, written for Kathleen Ferrier, who performed the title role. Ronald Duncan based his English libretto on André Obey's play Le Viol de Lucrèce.-Performance history:...
.
Obey served as general administrator of the Comédie-Française
Comédie-Française
The Comédie-Française or Théâtre-Français is one of the few state theaters in France. It is the only state theater to have its own troupe of actors. It is located in the 1st arrondissement of Paris....
, in a provisional capacity from October 1945 until 6 April 1946, then with full powers until his resignation on 5 February 1947.
Theatre
- Noé (Noah); 1930, Broadway February 13, 1935 - March 1935
- Le Viol de Lucrèce (The Rape of Lucretia); 1931, Broadway December 20, 1932 - January 1933
- La Bataille de la Marne (The Battle of the Marne); 1932
- La Souriante Madame Beudet (The Smiling Madame Beudet); 1921, Broadway November 28, 1921 - December 1921
- La Carcasse (the carcass); 1926
- Lazare (Lazare/Lazarus); 1950
- L'Orestie; 1955
- Revenu de l'étoile (Returned from the star)