Avignon Festival: A dazzling, truly global celebration of performing arts

One of the world’s greatest arts and culture festival, the Festival d’Avignon is organised in the French city of Avignon every year. Celebrating its 70th edition this year, it opened on July 6 and will continue till July 24. This image shows the people who had attended ‘The Damned,’ a play by Luchino Viscontion July 6. (AFP)

Published on: Jul 24, 2016 12:44 PM IST

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One of the world’s greatest arts and culture festival, the Festival d’Avignon is organised in the French city of Avignon every year. Celebrating its 70th edition this year, it opened on July 6 and will continue till July 24. This image shows the people who had attended ‘The Damned,’ a play by Luchino Viscontion July 6. (AFP)

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Founded in 1947, the festival aimed to attract a young and fresh audience through a type of theatre that was different from what was seen in Paris at the time. (AFP)

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The man behind the fest, Jean Vilar, wanted to renew theatre and collective forms of art by providing a more open space, bring it out of waiting rooms, cellars and salons, and reconcile architecture with dramatic poetry. (AFP)

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The Avignon festival offers about 35 to 50 shows and around 300 performances every year from France and around the world. Many of these shows are especially created for the festival. (AFP)

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The festival is held each July at about 20 locations across Avignon, with the courtyard of the Palais des Papes as its central venue. (AFP)

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Other than theatre, the fest also organises encounters with the artists, readings of original texts, film screenings, and exhibitions to facilitate a better understanding of the work produced. (AFP)

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About 3,500 professionals of the performing arts come from all over the world to participate in panels and debates about the theatre arts and cultural policies. (AFP)

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Dancers perform during a rehearsal of the play ‘Babel 7.16’ directed by choreographers Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Damien Jalet on July 19, 2016 at the Cour d'honneur du Palais des Papes in Avignon. (AFP)

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Actors perform during a rehearsal of the play ‘Rumeur et petits jours’ at the Cloitre des Carmes in Avignon. (AFP)

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Artistes perform during a rehearsal of ‘2666’ directed by Julien Gosselin. (AFP)

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Dancers perform during a rehearsal of the play ‘Que hare yo con esta espada?’ (And what will I do with this sword?) by Spanish director Angelica Liddell. (AFP)

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Greek actors of Blitz theatre group perform during a rehearsal of the play ‘6 A.M How To Disappear Completely’ at the fest. (AFP)

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Dancers during a rehearsal of the play ‘Au Coeur’ by director and choreographer Thierry Thieu Niang at the Chapelle des Penitents Blancs in Avignon. (AFP)

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The troupe of Blitz theatre group performs during a rehearsal of one of its plays at the Opera in Avignon in southern France as part of the 70th Avignon Theatre Festival. (AFP)