Le théâtre des matières

In the suburbs of Paris, Hermann, former musician of the Berlin orchestra, directs a small theater troupe: The Theater of Matters. Dorothée, a former harpist employed in a travel agency, also dreams of going to the theater. She becomes the mistress of Hermann and, to make live the troupe, sells the diamond that had offered him a rich lover. She will finally be able to get on stage and appear in Schiller’s “Marie Stuart” which will be played in front of a few spectators. But it does not matter: the troupe, bewitched by the magic of the theater, lives in hope, flippancy and humor. Yet the funds are running out and the rich suitor suddenly dies. Without new diamonds the troop may disappear. That’s when Hermann receives a grant. The Theater of Matters continues. Without Dorothea.—Jean Claude Biette