Copeau, Jacques (1879-1949)

French theatre director. He advocated a simplification of stage setting. He founded a company at the Vieux-Columbier Theatre 1913, where he directed plays by Molière and Shakespeare, notably The Winter's Tale 1921. In 1924 he established a school for young performers in Burgundy. He was a director of the Comédie Française 1936-41.