“I am so excited about what I have to tell you that I forgot my notes and my folder at home!” Thus, with complete improvisation and a touch of humor, Irina Brook, the director of the National Theatre of Nice for 3 years, began presenting this new season’s program.
“The menu will be appetizing and balanced…” Indeed, the program concocted for this year promises to be full of colors. There will be something for everyone. Irina Brook’s goal is to make theatre accessible to all.
From the youngest to the oldest, also targeting all communities, she wants to gather as many people as possible with what she calls “the art of humanity par excellence.”
The mayor of Nice, Philippe Pradal, also present, supports the director’s remarks, emphasizing that Nice is a city of “gathering.” In an era where division is growing, Irina Brook is doing everything possible to make theatre “a place for living together.” And it is around different themes that she intends to “unite!”
Of course, the great classics will always be on show: Tolstoy, Voltaire, Shakespeare, Dostoevsky… “the greatest have always united all communities and ages.”
But there will also be some new additions. “Theatre must keep an eye on the outside world,” confides Irina Brook. Some plays will thus be devoted to current issues. Moreover, the director of the TNN shares that a project on the July 14th attack is in preparation.
And especially, the “Shakespeare freestyle,” which was a hit in 2016, will be back on “the menu.” It is an educational project that brings together middle and high school students from the Alpes-Maritimes, who will interpret and revisit “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” for this new season. A way to introduce the magical world of theatre to the youngest.
Finally, to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to discover all the surprises carefully prepared for 2017, a new price of 5 euros will be implemented for those who come to the box office one hour before the performance.
