The Théâtre Nanterre-Amandiers in the western Paris suburb of Nanterre is one of France's defining Centres dramatiques nationaux and for decades a force field of post-dramatic theatre. The building, architecturally conceived as a brutalist complex in the 1970s, attained international significance under the leadership of Patrice Chéreau (1982-1990), whose productions wrote French theatre history — his Peer Gynt (1981) and his Genet and Koltès productions defined a generation. Under subsequent directors Jean-Pierre Vincent, Philippe Quesne, and most recently Christophe Rauck, Nanterre-Amandiers has established itself as a laboratory for contemporary dramaturgy and visual theatre. The house has three halls (Salle transformable, Salle Jean-Pierre Miquel, Petit Théâtre) and an ateliers programme for emerging artists. The location in the suburbs, far from the touristic Parisian centre, has preserved for the house a distinctive aura as a serious art institution.
Patrice Chéreau's 1981 Peer Gynt lasted eight hours, including a pause for a communal dinner in the theatre foyer — audiences spent the entire day on the stage.
At a glance
- Type
- Theatre
- Location
- Paris, France
- Address
- 7 Avenue Pablo Picasso, 92000 Nanterre
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