VISUAL ARTS

ArtsEmerson: The World on Stage presentes La Commune, Paris 1871. Director Peter Watkins crafted this docudrama as a historical re-enactment in the style of a documentary, shot in a mere 13 days in an abandoned factory on the outskirts of Paris. Using a mainly non-professional cast, many of whom knew nothing about the Commune, the actors did much of their own research for the massive project – which runs over five hours in its uncut version. In the spirit of the Commune, Watkins has said he wanted the actors “to reflect on the links between the events of the Commune and society today. In this way, we were asking the cast to contribute directly to the manner of telling their own history.”