39e Festival d'automne à Paris mêle prestige, reconnaissance et découverte

The 39th edition of the Festival d'automne à Paris, following the recent death of its longtime director Alain Crombecque, presents a program that uniquely blends prestige, recognition, and discovery across theatre, music, and visual arts. Lebanese artist Walid Raad is the visual arts guest with an exhibition at the CentQuatre from November 6 to December 5. Music highlights include creations by Pierluigi Billone, György Kurtag, Frederic Rzewski, and Matthias Pintscher. Theatre offerings feature Nikolai Kolyada's aggressive take on Hamlet at the Odéon-Théâtre de l'Europe, Krystian Lupa's Factory at La Colline-Théâtre national exploring Andy Warhol's world, Luc Bondy's revival of Ionesco's Les Chaises at Théâtre Nanterre-Amandiers, and Julie Brochen's The Cherry Orchard at the Odéon with Jeanne Balibar. Prestigious directors Peter Brook (The Magic Flute at Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord with composer Franck Krawczyk), Peter Stein (The Demons at the Odéon), and Patrice Chéreau (Autumn Dream at Théâtre de la Ville) are featured. The festival also includes works by tg Stan, Simon McBurney's Complicite, Rodrigo Garcia, and Claude Régy (Brume de Dieu at La Ménagerie de Verre). The program emphasizes complexity and improvisation, reflecting a contemporary approach to theatre that embraces fragmentation and uncertainty.