Isabelle Adjani and Peter Brook Will Be Featured at Crossing the Line, Returning September 12

A person talking on a cell phone

The 2019 edition of the arts and performance festival, Crossing the Line, promises to be a hit. Organized by the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) of New York, this major multicultural event returns from September 12 to October 12, with Isabelle Adjani opening the festival.

From September 12 to 14, the French actress will perform in “Opening Night,” a play adapted from a work by John Cassavetes, in which she plays an actress confronted with her age. Cyril Teste, the director, will change the stage directions every night in order to immerse himself in the richness of Cassavetes’ work. The September 13 performance will be followed by a discussion.

Another highlight of the festival is the play “Why?” directed by the giant of the theatre Peter Brook and Frenchwoman Marie-Hélène Estienne, known for her collaborations with the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord in Paris. The work, performing from September 21 to October 6, is a reflection on the raison d’être of the theatre.

A multidisciplinary festival showcasing the best of international creation — French work, in particular — Crossing the Line will also present several dance performances, including a new work by choreographer Jérôme Bel dedicated to the Franco-American dancer Isadora Duncan (Wednesday, September 25); a music performance inspired by the effects of climate change by Rhys Chatham, an American composer living in France known for creating works for electric guitar ensembles (Friday, October 4 and Saturday, October 5); or a live radio show based on interviews with young activists from Algiers, Moscow, Tehran, Istanbul and Sarajevo by journalists Aurélie Charon and Caroline Gillet (Wednesday, October 2).

A close up of a sign

Frenchly
newsletter.

Get your weekly dose of Frenchly’s news.

Read more

Frenchly newsletter.

A close up of a sign

Get your weekly dose of Frenchly’s news.

Frenchly Newsletter.

A close up of a sign

Get your weekly dose of Frenchly stuff.