LA COMMUNE - CENTRE DRAMATIQUE NATIONAL

The Théâtre de la Commune has two halls - 300 and 147 seats. Since 2014, Marie-José Malis has directed it. She is the worthy successor of a line of fine theater figures who have made this place an important center. The history of the latter goes back to 1960, when Jack Ralite, deputy mayor of Education and Culture of Aubervilliers, ambition to create a theater in his town. He convinced Gabriel Garran to join him. He organized annual festivals in a gymnasium in Aubervilliers until 1964. A year later, he was given the keys to the town's festival hall. The theater of the Aubervilliers Commune was born. It became a National Dramatic Center in 1971, and in 1975 major work was done on the building. Gabriel Garran developed an ambitious programming policy, directing many shows himself and bringing Patrice Chéreau, Ariane Mnouchkine, Matthias Langhoff, Marcel Maréchal, Philippe Adrien... He offered many shows to young audiences and opened an art house cinema.

In 1985, Garran was replaced by Alfredo Arias, an Argentine director from the TSE Group - the theater was then named Aubervilliers-Groupe TSE. With his colorful troupe - Zobeida, Facundo Bo, Marilù Marini... - he puts on surprising shows such as Heartbreak of an English Cat or Copi's plays. In 1991, Brigitte Jaques was in turn appointed director. She was accompanied by François Regnault, with whom she had founded the company Pandora. At the Commune, she staged classics and contemporary plays such as Angels in America, by Tony Kushner. Among the directors invited were Eric Vigner, Aurélien Recoing, Michel Vuillermoz... The director who succeeded her in 1997 was Didier Bezace, who came from the Théâtre de l'Aquarium. He adapts literary texts - Emmanuel Bove, Antonio Tabucchi... - and organizes thematic cycles such as Masculin, Féminin or C'est mieux que rien, quelques questions sur le bonheur.