The current National Theater of Nice (Illustration) – A. SELVI / ANP
- The National Theater of Nice, inaugurated in 1989, will be destroyed to extend the green belt.
- Its two rooms will be dispersed in other cultural venues in Nice. In particular the small room which will take place in the old church of the Franciscans which dates from the thirteenth century.
- The capacity of the large hall will be found in the next exhibition center, the work of which will be completed at the end of 2024, beginning of 2025.
The mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, had announced it during his first meeting for municipal officials in January 2020 with the idea of extending the promenade du Paillon, “the TNN [Théâtre national de Nice], which requires huge and expensive upgrading work, will be relocated [dans l’ancienne église des] Franciscans ”. A year and a half later, where is this project and what will be the future of the two rooms of this theater, which allowed to welcome more than 1,280 spectators?
Place Saint-François, the work should be completed by January 2022. Three historic buildings will house part of the new TNN. “In the Franciscan church, it will be the performance hall,” indicates Antoine Madelénat, chief architect of historical monuments, on the site. The convent, the former Golden Eagle hotel, will serve as a foyer for the public. It will be a place of welcome, conviviality and catering shared with the entry of the artists. The offices of the administrative teams of the theater will be installed on the upper floors ”.
“An offer that does not yet exist in Nice”
With this configuration, it is the current Michel-Simon room, with 318 seats, which will be replaced in the church with 400 seats depending on the placement of the stands, assures the director, Muriel Mayette-Holtz. “Artistically, what’s great about this project is that the audience will share the same soil as the performance. It will give a proximity that we do not yet have in Nice, but which is fundamental in contemporary creation ”.
She adds: “We will have less recourse to scenographies because we will already have it with the place, which is itself full of stories. We will then work on the texts, the actors, the music, the dance, and above all, this proximity with the spectators. It is a chance because we will be able to have bi-frontal, frontal or even tri-frontal bleachers. It allows us to be more mobile in our performances and in the styles of shows we want to give. And on the other hand, the audience feels more concerned, they are at the same level, they can see themselves in the show. It is then more accessible. “
Built in the 13th century, the building that will house this new cultural site is also the only one from this period intact in Nice, as specified by the mayor of the city. Thus, for the chief architect who presents the work in progress, “the architecture becomes almost a stage set”. “We consider that what we do today, the archaeological excavation, is also part of the history of the place. So, we do not destroy, we do not restore, but we preserve the archaeological state and its traces in which it has come down to us. Then, we will redraw and suggest. Only the facades are going to be restored, to give visitors a chance to see the city again ”.
A temporary structure for the great hall
What about the Pierre-Brasseur room and its 963 seats? “End of 2024, beginning of 2025, in the new exhibition center, there will be a concert hall side and another TNN side with the same large hall, with the same volume and the same capacity as the current one”, affirms Christian Estrosi .
In the meantime, the town hall has acquired a “provisional structure of high quality, already operational in Switzerland for the same use” and which “makes it possible to offer shows from 800 to 1,000 seats”. Thus, the mayor confirms that there will be “no interruption for these performances”. “There may be a game with the Opera on certain programs,” he underlines. The “most appropriate” location is still being considered and will be communicated “in a few days”, indicates the elected official.