This 78-Year-Old French Avant-Garde Theatre Director Is Just Trying To Get More (A Lot More) Done

Ariane Mnouchkine, a founder of the Théâtre du Soleil (the founders got the theatre’s acreage in 1970 by squatting at a building the army abandoned), lives her values, including getting ready to cancel a hugely expensive trip to the U.S. if three Afghanistan-born actors can’t get visas. “Among the 100 members of her troupe, 26 countries are represented and as many languages spoken. In an era of creeping nationalism and ambient xenophobia, Ms. Mnouchkine stands firmly opposed to reflexive demonization.”