April in Paris: Theatricality, Modernism, and Politics at the 1925 Art Deco Expo

Attracting over fifteen million visitors, the 1925 Paris Expo had an ambitious goal to create a new modernist style which would reflect the great scientific, industrial, and technological advances that produced a new spirit known as modern. In April in Paris, author Irena R. Makaryk explores the theatre arts’ vital cultural and political impact at this celebrated international exhibition.

Drawing extensively from unexplored archival documents from France, Austria, and North America, April in Paris is the first major study to focus on theatre arts at the 1925 Paris Expo and the audacious Soviet contributions to this fair. Turning a spotlight on the uses and representations of theatricalized spaces, Makaryk analyses their political challenge at a time when relations between the West and the USSR were rife with tension. Copiously illustrated with beautiful colour and black and white illustrations, this book elucidates the complex role of the international fair as a catalyst for spirited cultural debate and for aesthetic change.