AVIGNON FESTIVAL

Diego Andres Molina

Diego Andrés Molina Medina

 AN ARTISTIC PROJECT

Founded in 1947 by Jean Vilar, the Festival

d'Avignon is today one of the most important
international events of contemporary
performing arts. Each year, in July, Avignon
becomes a city-theater, transforming its
architectural heritage into various places of
representation, majestic or astonishing,
welcoming tens of thousands of theater lovers
of all generations
Festival succeeds in the original
alliance of a popular public with
international creation. Avignon is also
a spirit: the city is an open-air forum,
where festival-goers talk about shows
and share their experiences as
spectators. For a month, everyone
can have access to a contemporary
and living culture.
The program is made up of shows, but
also readings, exhibitions, films and
debates, which are all entries into the
world of invited artists and intellectuals.
Each evening at the Festival, there are
one or more “premieres”, which make
Avignon a real place of creations and
adventures, for artists and spectators
alike.
12% of the public are professionals (programmers,
directors, producers, communication and public
relations teams) when 20% are present for
professional reasons.They come to discover shows,
mount future productions and organize meetings on
the performing arts and cultural policies. A true
professional forum, the Festival and the Higher
Institute of Performing Techniques organize a House
of performing arts professionals where debates and
meetings broaden the views and lines of research of
the profession.
Each edition

● transforms more than twenty places , most often heritage and in the open air, into
scenic spaces, very varied in their architecture and their number of places, from 50 to
2000.
● presents around fifty different shows , French and foreign, for around 300
performances and more than 400 meetings in all with meetings, debates and
screenings. 80% of the shows are creations or premieres in France.
● brings together more than 600 French and foreign journalists who write more than
2,000 articles on the Festival. Live television and radio broadcasts take place there. All
the major print media send correspondents there. About fifty photographers also cover
the event.