Tuesday evening, the Théâtre Francis-Gag hosted the awards ceremony for the Scènes d’Automne festival. In front of an audience of artists and enthusiasts, six awards were presented, highlighting the vitality and creativity of the theatrical scene on the Côte d’Azur.
The evening unfolded in a warm and emotional atmosphere on Tuesday evening at the Théâtre Francis-Gag, in the Old Nice. Nearly forty people attended the closing ceremony of the 2025 Scènes d’Automne theater festival, now an essential event for companies and artists in the region. Twelve shows were in competition this year, among an overall program of more than thirty events spread over twenty-three locations between Nice, Saint-Laurent-du-Var, Carros, and Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat.
An edition marked by diversity
Presided over by Isabelle Bondiau-Moinet, actress and director, the evening highlighted the plurality of forms and universes represented. In her speech, she praised the richness of the propositions: “We wanted to reward creative diversity in form and content, without ever compromising our qualitative standards.”
Although the festival’s patron, Nice actress Eva Rami, could not be present as she was currently on stage in Paris with her show Va aimer!, awarded with a Molière, her influence was felt throughout the evening. The director of the Théâtre Francis-Gag, Jennifer Moreaux, along with the municipal delegate for cinema and live performance, Patrick Mottard, reiterated the festival’s purpose. “Scènes d’Automne has three goals: to unite the live performance scene on the Côte d’Azur, to promote it, and to introduce theater to new audiences. It is a profound commitment for us.”
The award winners of the 2025 Scènes d’Automne festival
The Grand Prix of this 2025 edition was awarded to Faraëkoto, by Séverine Bidaud (6th Dimension Company), presented by the Théâtre Lino-Ventura. Combining hip-hop dance, storytelling, and video, the play explores difference and resilience. “This piece talks about differences, disability, and the strength we can all find within ourselves to keep moving forward,” the choreographer shared during the award presentation.
The Special Prize went to Novecento: Pianist, adapted from Alessandro Baricco’s book by Laure Sauret and Kalahan Hamon (Blue Lemon Company), a poetic solo performance presented at the Théâtre de la Semeuse.
The Creation Prize recognized Pays Bonheur, an adaptation of Emmanuel Darley’s novel by Thierry de Pina (Ah le Zèbre! Company), presented at the Théâtre de la Libé. The director opened up about this challenging adaptation: “It was through meeting young migrants in Carros that I found the keys to adapt this text. Their perspective profoundly impacted me.”
The Directing Prize was awarded to Clara Chrétien for Le Cabaret des Oiseaux, a musical and poetic show performed at l’Espace Magnan.
In terms of performance, Oréade Gagneux-Lagrèze received the Female Prize for Reconstitution, based on Agatha Christie (Salle Charlie Chaplin, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat), while Jérôme Sandor won the Male Prize for Panique en Airbnb, a lively and offbeat comedy presented at Théâtre de la Tour.
A unifying event
More than just an awards ceremony, this 2025 edition reaffirmed the role of Scènes d’Automne as a pillar of the live performance scene on the Côte d’Azur. In celebrating the freedom of creation and the courage of the artists, the festival echoes the words of Isabelle Bondiau-Moinet: “Continue creating to bring people together, to share what drives you… to fight so that creative freedom is never stifled.”
