ROMSO Cyprus Knowledge Base

--- CONTENT ---
A theatre festival is a periodic artistic event that can take place over several days. Theatre festivals developed in the middle of the 19th century.

Among the first types of festival, they develop mainly from the medium to favor various types of shows or make the great authors popular. This type of periodic event is found all over the world, such as North and South America, Europe or Asia.

History and evolution
Theatre festivals are among the first types of festivals. Ancient Greek theatre was associated with the religious ceremonies dedicated to Dionysos (the Dionysies). Medieval mysteries were played at the main Christian festivals. Daily theatre performances are part of a relatively recent phenomenon.

Theatre festivals developed around the world from the 1950s onwards in the form of periodic events. Thus, in the United States a festival was established in Ashland in 1935, then in France in Avignon in 1947, in Canada in Stratford and the United Kingdom in Edinburgh that year, in Ireland in Dublin in 1957, in Belgium in Liège in 1958, in Australia in Adelaide in 1960, etc.

During the many theatre festivals were organized to promote various types of performances or make popular the great classic authors. On the margins of many festivals, unofficial performances are presented in festivals off to promote alternative playwrights and performers or allow beginners to try their luck.

Theatre festivals in France
In France, the first dramatic art festival was established in 1869 as part of Orange's ancient theatre. In the 1950s, theatre festivals developed in France, reaching a maximum between 1970 and 1990. In 1947, the actor and director Jean Vilar created the Festival d'Avignon, which soon became one of the most important in the world. Followed in 1950 by the Festival of Anjou and in 1952 by the Festival of Sarlat.

In the early 2000s, there were 58 performing arts festivals.

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
In the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, a multi-disciplinary festival was established in 1946 in Lyon, Les Nuits de Fourvière, and several theatre festivals began in the 1980s.

The National Amateur Contemporary Theatre Festival (Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne, Ain) is a theatre and theatrical reading festival created in 1987 and published in 2015. It also hosts a forum of authors, spectators and actors.

The Festival international de théâtre de rue d'Aurillac (Cantal) is an event created in 1986 with the aim of developing a direct relationship with a popular audience. As a world reference in street theatre, it attracts more people every year.

The Rencontres du jeune théâtre européenne (Grenoble, Isère), of which 2016 was the edition