Ariane Mnouchkine, born in 1939 in Boulogne-sur-Seine, founded the theater collective Theatre du Soleil in Paris in 1964, which consists of around thirty professional and amateur actors from all over the world. Theatre du Soleil sees itself as a politically active theater that aims to critically engage with social realities and "change the conditions under which we live" (Ariane Mnouchkine). It draws inspiration from the theater of the Far East, ancient tragedy, and the traditions of popular theater such as Commedia dell'arte. The group acquired the methods and techniques of physical theater at the school of Jacques Lecoq and today works with the means of pantomime, cabaret, acrobatics, and improvisation. Theatre du Soleil achieved international recognition with the three-part Shakespeare cycle (King Richard II, King Henry IV, and Twelfth Night) and the production 1789.