The Théâtre Nanterre-Amandiers, also Théâtre des Amandiers, is a theatre in

Nanterre Nanterre (, ) is the prefecture of the Hauts-de-Seine department in the western suburbs of Paris. It is located some northwest of the centre of Paris. In 2018, the commune had a population of 96,807. The eastern part of Nanterre, bordering t ...

and a known theatre outside of Paris. The present building opened in 1976. The company is a ''Centre dramatique national'' (National dramatic center), a national public theatre. Artistic directors included

Patrice Chéreau Patrice Chéreau (; 2 November 1944 – 7 October 2013) was a French opera and theatre director, filmmaker, actor and producer. In France he is best known for his work for the theatre, internationally for his films '' La Reine Margot'' and ...

and Catherine Tasca (1982), Jean-Pierre Vincent (1990) and Jean-Louis Martinelli (2002). The theatre runs a film studio and an acting school which is connected to theatre studies at the

Paris West University Nanterre La Défense Paris Nanterre University (French: ''Université Paris Nanterre''), formerly Paris-X and commonly referred to as Nanterre, is a public research university based in Nanterre, Paris, France. It is one of the most prestigious French universities, m ...

History

The theatre developed from the Festival de Nanterre, first staged in 1965 in a circus tent. In 1966 it was moved to the University of Nanterre. From 1971 it was made a ''Centre dramatique national'', a national public theater, and received public funding. In 1976 the theatre moved to the ''Maison de la Culture''. That event is considered the inauguration of the theater. The building, which seats 900 people, is at 7 avenue Pablo Picasso in Nanterre. In 1982 the theatre was named ''Théâtre des Amandiers'' and directed by

and Catherine Tasca. Chéreau established a theatre school and a film studio. His first staging was ''Combat de nègres et de chiens'' by

Bernard-Marie Koltès Bernard-Marie Koltès (; 9 April 1948 – 15 April 1989) was a French playwright and theatre director best known for his plays ''La Nuit juste avant les Forêts'' (''The Night Just Before the Forests'', 1976), ''Sallinger'' (1977) and ''Dans la ...

, followed by the author's ''Quai Ouest, Dans la solitude des champs de coton'' and ''Le retour au désert''. Productions of

Arthur Schnitzler Arthur Schnitzler (15 May 1862 – 21 October 1931) was an Austrian author and dramatist. Biography Arthur Schnitzler was born at Praterstrasse 16, Leopoldstadt, Vienna, capital of the Austrian Empire (as of 1867, part of the dual monarchy ...

's '' Das weite Land'' by

Luc Bondy Luc Bondy (17 July 1948 – 28 November 2015) was a Swiss theatre and film director. Life and career upright=1.3, '' Charlotte Salomon'' at the Salzburg Festival 2014 Trained in Paris with the theatre teacher Jacques Lecoq, he received a job ...

and a staged version of

Louis-Ferdinand Céline Louis Ferdinand Auguste Destouches (27 May 1894 – 1 July 1961), better known by the pen name Louis-Ferdinand Céline ( , ) was a French novelist, polemicist and physician. His first novel ''Journey to the End of the Night'' (1932) won the '' Pr ...

's novel ''

Journey to the End of the Night ''Journey to the End of the Night'' (french: Voyage au bout de la nuit, 1932) is the first novel by Louis-Ferdinand Céline. This semi-autobiographical work follows the adventures of Ferdinand Bardamu in the World War I, colonial Africa, the Un ...

'' by André Engel were also notable. Chéreau staged plays by Jean Genet,

Pierre de Marivaux Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux (4 February 1688 – 12 February 1763), commonly referred to as Marivaux, was a French playwright and novelist. He is considered one of the most important French playwrights of the 18th century, writing nume ...

Heiner Müller Heiner Müller (; 9 January 1929 – 30 December 1995) was a German (formerly East German) dramatist, poet, writer, essayist and theatre director. His "enigmatic, fragmentary pieces" are a significant contribution to postmodern drama and postdr ...

Jean Racine Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ) (; 22 December 163921 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille as well as an important literary figure in the Western traditi ...

, and

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

. Jean-Pierre Vincent directed the theatre from 1990 to 2001. From 1991 to 2001

Georges Aperghis Georges Aperghis ( el, Γιώργος Απέργης; born 23 December 1945) is a Greek composer working primarily in the field of experimental music theater but has also composed a large amount of non- programmatic chamber music. He lives in Fr ...

, the leader of the group L'ATEM, directed music productions. From 2001 Jean-Louis Martinelli directed the theatre.

Directors

* ''Maison de la Culture'' ** 1969–1974 / Pierre Laville ** 1974–1978 Pierre Debauche ** 1978–1982 Raoul Sangla * ''Centre Dramatique National'' ** 1974–1982 Xavier Pommeret ** 1982–1990

/ Catherine Tasca ** 1990–2001

Jean-Pierre Vincent Jean-Pierre Vincent (26 August 1942 – 5 November 2020) was a French theatrical actor and director. He served as Administrators of the Comédie-Française, Administrator of the Comédie-Française from 1983 to 1986. Theatre *''The Broken Jug'' ...

** from 2002

Literature

* Manfred Brauneck, Gérard Schneilin (editors): ''Theaterlexikon 1. Begriffe und Epochen, Bühnen und Ensembles''. Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag Reinbek bei Hamburg, 5th edition, August 2007, .

References

External links

*
Théâtre Nanterre-Amandiers
theatre-contemporain.net
Théâtre des Amandiers
scope.lefigaro.fr

{{DEFAULTSORT:Theatre Amandiers Theatres in France Theatre companies in France Buildings and structures in Hauts-de-Seine 1976 establishments in France