Harrison Receives $20K Grant to Host Workshop on French Theatre

Professor of French David Harrison has received a workshop grant of $20,000 from the Alliance for the Advancement of Liberal Arts Colleges. With colleagues Hélène Bilis of Wellesley College and Hélène Visentin of Smith College, Harrison will host a workshop titled “Performing Early Modern French Theatre and History in the 21st Century: New Approaches and New Pedagogies for the Liberal Arts” on the Grinnell campus in 2025.

The workshop will bring together scholars in French, history, and theatre/performance studies to discuss how collaboration among faculty in these disciplines can imbue the teaching of early-modern French literature, history, and theatre with new energy.

“Just as Hamilton inspired a new look at early American history, French plays today frequently reexamine people and events from the past, such as the French Revolution or France’s participation in the slave trade,” Harrison says. “Our workshop will discuss ways of using these plays, as well as new productions of classic plays, to teach students the exquisite complexity of literature and history.”

For example, participants will explore how contemporary directors are staging 17th-century plays by Molière and Racine to raise questions of religious identity, cultural heritage, and colonialism. In addition to keynotes, panel discussions, and other sessions led by faculty members, the workshop will feature French actor and director Aurelien Recoing, who will provide perspectives on how contemporary directors are handling historical material.

The workshop coordinators plan to incorporate the insights from this workshop into an open-access digital handbook for teaching early modern French theatre to undergraduate audiences.