Culture of Avignon

Avignon’s cultural scene hits the headlines each July, with the Avignon Festival, created by Jean Vilar in 1947. It is the oldest and most famous of the festivals in France. Originally pure theatre, the event now includes contemporary and religious music, dance, poetry, circus, films, exhibitions and debates involving up to 600 separate organisations.

The most prestigious productions are performed in the vast Palais des Papes courtyard, others within theatres, churches and sports halls. The Chartreuse, at Villeneuve-les-Avignon, showcases the contemporary theatre of the Avignon Festival, as well as a separate musical theatre festival, Villeneuve en Scene. The programme for 2003 included a performance of Romeo and Juliet in the cour du lycee Saint-Joseph, ‘equestrian theatre’ in the parc des Expositions-Chateaublanc, as well as author readings in the cours du Musee Calvet.

The Bureau du Festival d’Avignon (and box office) is located at the Espace Saint-Louis, 20 rue du Portail Boquier . Alongside the official festival (locally known as the ‘In’), the ‘Off’ fringe festival enlivens city streets and courtyards with a carnival atmosphere. The ‘In’ programme is available on the website from March, or from the Bureau du Festival d’Avignon or the Avignon Tourist Office (see Sightseeing) as of the second week in May. Tickets (priced at €10-40) are available by telephone or on the website, from June onwards. The ‘Off’ programme is published in mid-June (when booking commences) by Paris-based Avignon Public Off. During the festival, the headquarters are within the Conservatoire de Musique, 9 Place du Palais des Papes.

Tickets to all other performances and cultural events in the city are available for purchase from the individual venue box offices, in advance or on the day. The tourist office publishes a monthly calendar of events (French only) in Rendez-Vouz.

Music: The gracious Opera d’Avignon , built in 1847, overlooks place de l’Horloge. The season runs from October to June and includes operas, operettas and symphonic and chamber music concerts, as well as theatre and ballet. The Musique Sacree en Avignon, 49 rue Portail Magnanen , organises free concerts in churches (October to May).

Theatre: Avignon has about 10 permanent theatres, as well as the opera house (see above). The Theatre du Chene Noir, 8 rue Ste-Catherine (tel: (04) 9086 5811), draws well-known actors and directors, while the Theatre du Chien qui Fume, 75 rue des Teinturiers , puts on a varied programme of theatre, music and improvisation evenings. The Theatre des Halles, 4 rue Noel Biret , excels in contemporary theatre, while cutting-edge Theatre des Carmes, 6 place des Carmes , is run by the Andre Benedetto company - one of the founders of the Festival ‘Off’. Theatre tickets tend to be cheaper than the Festival ‘On’ and the season runs from October to May.

Dance: Dance has its own moment of glory in February, when Les Hivernales contemporary dance festival takes place at La Manutention, 4 rue escalier Ste Anne . The Theatre de la Danse, 1 rue Ste Catherine offers courses and performances year round.

Film: Avignon has about 20 cinemas. Cinema Utopia, at La Manutention arts centre, 4 rue escalier Ste Anne shows undubbed arthouse films. Utopia has another cinema located at 5 rue Figuiere, north of place St Didier, where dubbed films creep into the screenings. Utopia also produces La Gazette Utopia, a free monthly listings magazine. Cinema Vox, 22 place de l’Horloge , offers mainstream films, with the odd arthouse film - some in the original language. One of Avignon’s largest cinemas is the 10-screen Pathe Cap Sud, 175 rue Pierre Semard, route de Marseille .

Cultural Events: Without doubt, Avignon’s key cultural event is the Avignon Festival in July. However, another cultural highlight is the Avignon Film Festival, which takes place every June and is a showcase for independent filmmakers from America, France and Europe.

Literary Notes: Petrarch (1304-1374) brought the theme of idealised love to Avignon, where he first set enchanted eyes on Laure, in 1327. This earthly incarnation of perfection inspired the Canzoniere - over 300 poems, mainly sonnets, on the subject of platonic love. Not withstanding the fated meeting, Petrarch detested Avignon, which he famously described as ‘a sewer where all the filth of the universe has gathered.’

Frederic Mistral (born in 1830, between Arles and Avignon) drew on the troubadour tradition with his love poetry, Mireille (1859), about star-crossed lovers. Written in both Provençal and French, the tragic tale won Mistral a Nobel Prize and revived the dying Provençal language. Together with Avignon-born Theodore Aubanel, he founded the Felibrige movement and helped revive Provençal tradition. Avignon-born writer Pierre Boulle (1912-1994) won international renown with Planet of the Apes (1963) and Bridge Across the River Kwai (1952), both later made into films. English-language writers have painted a mythical picture of Provence as a sun-drenched idyll - most famously in Peter Mayle’s bestselling A Year in Provence (1989).