Our Next Production
Coming – Fall 2026
Art
by Yazmina Reza – translated by Christopher Hampton
How would you feel about your best friend if she suddenly did something so colossally stupid, it made you doubt the very basis of the friendship? It happens in Yasmina Reza’s monster international hit, Art. When an art lover buys what is in essence a pure white painting for a horse-choking sum, his best friend goes ballistic. Yet a third friend gets squeezed in the middle. Questions about the meaning of strange modern art and strange modern friendships – and how they’re sometimes not all that different – fly thick in the limelight.
A translation of a French-language play, Art is set in Paris and revolves around a discussion between three friends – Serge, Marc and Yvan. When Serge buys a large and very expensive painting for 200,000 francs. However, the canvas is completely white with just a few white lines. While Serge is very proud of his latest painting, the reaction of his friends does not mirror his own sentiments. Marc responds with shock and anger, labeling it as a “piece of white sh#t”. But does he dislike the painting, or Serge’s independent thought? In turn, Yvan acts as the peacemaker, trying to mediate the hostility between his friends. While he laughs about the ridiculous nature of the painting with Marc, he also reassures Serge that he likes the white canvas. However, his attempts at brokering peace fail and Serge and Marc’s anger is redirected him. As the discussion moves from the theoretical to the personal, the three friends are forced to ask questions not only about the nature of art, but about the nature of friendship. As they attack each other about their various personal failures, Serge, Marc, and Yvan risk ruining their friendship forever.