Jean-Marie Besset

Born in Carcassonne, Jean-Marie Besset spent his childhood in the nearby small town of Limoux, in Southwest France, until his Baccalaureat (1977). With degrees in business (ESSEC, 1981) and political sciences (IEP Paris, 1984), he divided for twelve years his time between Paris and New York. In 1999-2000, he returned to France to become the artistic director of the Théâtre de l'Atelier, a land-marked Paris theatre acquired by Laura Pels. Since 2000, in partnership with producer/director Gilbert Désveaux, he has formed the company BCDV theater to initiate and develop projects (among which, a summer theatre festival, NAVA -New Authors in the Aude Valley.)In 2010-2013, the duo ran the National Theatre (CDN) in Montpellier. His plays include Villa Luco, The Function, What You Get And What You Expect (NYTW premiere 2000), The Best Of Schools (Grande Ecole), A Commentary On Love, Rue de Babylone, The Greeks, Perthus, The Girl On The Train, I Don't Want To Marry, The Banquet At Auteuil. He's also the French translator of playwrights Edward Albee, Tennessee Williams, Will Eno, Alan Bennett, Michael Frayn, Tom Stoppard. Several of his plays or adaptations have been made into movies: Grande Ecole (Dir. Robert Salis, 2004), The Girl On The Train (André Téchiné, 2008), Life Of Riley (Alain Resnais, 2014).