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Theatre terminology: Grand Guignol
posted by Cheshire on Fri, Jan 4, 2008
in theatre terminology
Just in case you didn't already know...
The term "Grand Guignol" (pronunciation) gets thrown around a lot these days, it seems. Writers use it to contextualize anything that's over-the-top bloody or otherwise horrific. But what does it actually mean?
It comes from Le Theatre du Grand Guignol, a French theatre company that operated from 1897 to 1962 and specialized in extremely graphic productions of macabre or otherwise taboo short plays. "Guignol" was a puppet character dating from the early 19th century, created to comment on the issues of the day. The Grand Guignol, like its inspiration, was censored repeatedly for its views. (Of note for Impact fans: according to Wikipedia, the Grand Guignol was the smallest theatre in Paris, though "smallest" at that time meant it sat nearly 300 people, not the 60 we squeeze into La Val's.)
More info here or here. Or just go check out the local Guignol go-to company Thrillpeddlers sometime.