At the dawn of September, when the sound of the waves turns into the ringing of the RATP, morale is at half mast in the capital. To remedy this temporary depression, the 14th arrondissement of Paris has a ready-made solution. For the fourth consecutive year, Théâtre 14, located very close to Porte de Vanves, is organizing a totally free cultural festival from Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd September. “We launched this project in 2020, at the end of the first confinement. Saddened by the cancellation of the Off d’Avignon, we wanted to offer a small window of visibility to emerging comedians by creating a sort of “small Off village” in the 14th arrondissement”, explains Mathieu Thouzé, director of the theater and co-creator of the festival. “Since then, the project has swelled, the inhabitants of the district have joined, they have, in a way, taken possession of this small village”, he adds.
This year, the fourth edition is part of the Formes Olympiques festival, organized on the sidelines of the 2024 Olympic Games. Thus, most of the weekend’s events will be directly or indirectly related to sport. Six shows will be on the program including Fief, weight bantam, a play on boxing, adapted from the novel Fief by David Lopez, Inter 2018 prize.
Under the balconies of the Porte de Vanves, eight readings will also be held. Anne Kessler and Françoise Gillard from the Comédie-Française will be among the speakers and will present texts by Virginia Woolf and Colette. The big screen will also be honored with outdoor screenings of Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese) and Me, Tonya (Craig Gillespie). For children and athletes, ten workshops ranging from boxing to rollerblading and climbing will be offered by reservation, sometimes alongside the shows. All are the result of partnerships with neighborhood associations.
This festive weekend will therefore take possession of rue Paradol and its surroundings. “Last year we went so far as to set up a show in an apartment. This year we operate eleven places in the district including a facade, a gymnasium and building courtyards. The goal is really to take ownership of this environment and enhance it,” claims Mathieu Thouzé. From Friday to Sunday, 3,000 to 4,000 people will be expected to “celebrate the end of summer together”.