The performing arts hold a fundamental place in René Crevel's work, career and life. As soon as he arrived in Paris, he started to design theatrical sets and costumes and was soon working with Arsène Durec, one of the most innovative directors of his generation. In 1920, he became the set designer for the first theatrical adaptation of Pierre Benoit's novel, L'Atlantide. At that time, like all his contemporaries, Crevel was fascinated by a new form of entertainment, the cinema.
He was inspired by the cinematographic aesthetics of certain masterpieces, producing consecutive gouaches like cinema frames, creating film-like series of animations. Beyond his actual creations for the theatre, the performing arts had a considerable influence on the gestation and evolution of his art; inspiring him, enriching his themes as well as his writing, and influencing his entire decorative work.