On the crest of the wave of contemporary tendencies to revolutionize theatrical practices, in 1966 Avignon's Théâtre des Carmes, cofounded by André Benedetto and Bertrand Hurault, staged a festival « Off », unofficial and independent. Founded in 1947 by Jean Vilar, it is the oldest existent festival in France and one of the world's greatest. The Festival d'Avignon, or Avignon Festival, is an annual arts festival held in the French city of Avignon every summer in July in the courtyard of the Palais des Papes as well as in other locations of the city. 41 cours Jean Jaurès. Disclaimer: Event details may change at any time. Thenceforth, numerous further sites will be chosen to stage the festival's theatrical representations.Vilar directed the festival until his death, in 1971. Among the acteurs and actresses invited by Villard, one finds the following: Jean Négroni, Germaine Montero, Alain Cuny, Michel Bouquet, Jean-Pierre Jorris, Silvia Montfort, Jeanne Moreau, Daniel Sorano, Maria Casarès, Philippe Noiret, Monique Chaumette, Jean Le Poulain, Charles Denner, Jean Deschamps, Georges Wilson, and Gérard Philipe.The festival's success grew, in spite of criticisms, which were at times virulent. To finally bring us together, beyond our disappointments and differences, to celebrate enigmas, to ask of them the inextinguishable fire of conscience.And to prove the strength of our community of spirit, to prove its diversity and its hunger, we will once again go towards works that will change us. What if it didn't speak to citizens but to mortals: would it lose its ethical value? That we want more passionate, more awakened lives, that we no longer want to waste any time in useless haggling, but instead spend it making our own capacity for amazement grow. This website uses cookies to provide our visitors with a great user experience. Mail. By accessing our site, you agree to the terms of,Everfest stands in solidarity with the Black community and supports the fight for justice and equality. We will be donating the first month of each new vendor & artist subscription to the Austin Justice Coalition. And this, then, is what we might call... the political.Get the edition's programmation, artists and places…,Relaunch plan - Festival d'Avignon (in French),Programme - Une Semaine d'art en Avignon 2020,A responsible and socially-conscious company. T.+33 (0)4 32 74 32 74. Has it lost some of its worth today, when anyone can broadcast images and individual publication rivals all other forms of collective storytelling? At the same moment and at the same place, an exhibition of contemporary paintings and sculptures was organized by Christian Zervos, an art critic and collector, and by René Char, the poet.Vilar initially refused the invitation, as for him the Cour d'Honneur of the Pope's Palace was too vast and "shapeless" and he also lost the performance rights of the play. July, 2020 Multiple Locations in Avignon, Avignon, Avignon, France.

The following year, Benedetto's theatre was joined by other kindred theatrical companies.In response to the "Off" challenge, in 1967 Jean Vilar gave rise to the festival of the "Court of Honor of the Popes' Palace" (la Cour d'honneur du Palais des papes). Even though their work still speaks to us, our bodies, our perception of time, our knowledge of social sciences, our mating rituals, all of that has changed faster than the repertoire; posthumanity is right around the corner, death is no longer the limit of the human adventure, and the 21st-century body is equipped in such a way that we already live in a permanent state of ubiquity and telepathy.Eros and Thanatos, desire and death turned by Freud into the ultimate beliefs, are the alpha and omega of all human stories.