Michel Vinaver and the Theatre of the Here and Now: L'Emission de télévision

As France moves into the "television era" where T. V. becomes a central source of information about international, national, and local events, this article poses the question of theater's aptitude to represent socio-economic realities. The article briefly discusses some of the questions raised by the diminishing role of the French state in television, and the innovations of cable and satellite T. V., then focuses on L'Emission de télévision (1990), a recent play by leading contemporary playwright Michel Vinaver. Raising questions about current urban issues such as unemployment and how television latches on to these problems, the play creates a comic and moving canvas of daily life in modern France.