How does the spirit of Antonin Artaud inform “The Invisible Forest”?
AA: As a theatre artist and filmmaker, I include the writings of French Surrealist playwright Antonin Artaud amongst my very earliest influences and inspirations. I find some his ideas for revitalizing the theatre both thrilling and revolutionary. But many of his ideas are not easy to assimilate as they are often delivered with an overwhelming force of disturbance or shock. Though I have always wanted to create a vehicle — a stageplay or a film — for Artaud’s ideas, I could never find any tangible ways to manifest their highly abstract nature. And then one day, inspiration hit and “The Invisible Forest” was born. I would introduce his ideas in the context of a dream where Artaud appears to a theatre director who, in waking life, is attempting to materialize Artaud’s vision. By using the convention of a cinematic dreamscape, I felt I could give form and substance to the spirit of Antonin Artaud. JB: What does the title, “The Invisible Forest”, signify? AA: “The Invisible Forest” has a
