Irina Brook, director of the National Theatre of Nice, gathered her entire team, primarily to reveal this year’s program but also to thank her greatest allies.
The program includes 36 performances and 3 major events, along with tours to look forward to. A primary goal remains in the mind of this director and stage director: to encourage all types of audiences to come to the theater.
“This year, the show is starting,” asserts Irina Brook, her eyes filled with wonder. “For me, the first four years are a kind of grand rehearsal. We’re beginning what I’ve always wanted to do.” She could not have chosen a better setting to talk about theater. Standing surrounded by tables adorned with grapes in the middle of a small amphitheater, this woman with a soft and humble voice wanted to return to the primary quality of the National Theatre of Nice: being popular. She wants to provide many reasons for all generations to come. For this, both old and new projects are plentiful to attract the largest crowd, especially the youth.
The daughter of director Peter Brook has well understood the themes to address: “We need to be part of the world today.” She compares theater with football “without the philosophical and intellectual side,” even though she does not deny the strategic aspect of this sport. If she makes this comparison, it’s not without reason. She admits that her greatest ambition is to have footballers perform Shakespeare. Her audience laughs at this somewhat surprising mix. However, the idea was proposed to a group of OGC Nice footballers to make a film, although it is not yet concrete. The players are willing, and the desire from Irina and her colleague is strong.
Another very precious event for Irina Brook to attract young people, this time international and already in its fourth edition, is the Shake Nice! festival. Shake, for Shakespeare because the performances revolve around this great playwright. For this third year, there will be a weekend where students and teachers “will have the opportunity to do their Shakespeare” with the pedagogical project “freestyle!” at the close of the festival.
A major first is planned for this year, the Generation Z festival opens its curtains during school holidays. Performances, intergenerational workshops, meetings with artists, internships, and behind-the-scenes discoveries of the theater are expected to familiarize the youth with theater.
Her efforts already paid off last year, thanks in part to work with national education, as 5,000 students came to meet the artists. School subscriptions increased, and 60 teachers were trained.
The events awaiting you:
Generation Z Festival (from October 21 to November 5)
- Don Juan… and the clowns (October 21, 28 and November 4)
- Bubble, an odyssey (October 24, 25 and 29)
- Azerty and the lost words (October 25, 26 and 29)
- Question mark (October 27 and November 5)
- Our earth who art in heaven (November 2 and 3)
The “Wake Up!” Days (December 9, April 7 and 8): Conferences, meetings, and projections about ecology and humanity
Shake Nice! Festival (From January 24 to February 11)
- Henry V (January 24 and 25)
- Storms (January 26, 27 and 28)
- Me, Malvolio (January 31 and February 1)
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream (February 2, 3 and 4)
- William’s slam (February 8 and 9)
- Shakespeare freestyle – 2018 edition (February 10 and 11)
Cultural Utopias: May ’68 / May ’18
Carte blanche to artists for unique creations to reinvent the world, with Linda Blanchet, Dan Jemmett, Cyril Cotinaut, and more…
And many other shows to discover.
Océane Da Silva
