This week on arts24, Eve Jackson is in the studio while our reporter Olivia Salazar-Winspear is on the ground at one of the world’s most iconic theatre gatherings – the Avignon Festival in southern France. Now in its 79th year, the event is turning heads with a bold and timely focus on Arabic-language works, shining a light on one of France’s most spoken – yet still underrepresented – languages on stage. Festival director Tiago Rodrigues continues his mission to open up theatre to new audiences with a more inclusive and international approach. This year’s programme features powerful performances from Morocco to Palestine, and even a Sheherazade-inspired opening show at the majestic Palais des Papes.
In a year marked by bold cultural statements, politics also take centre stage, with Swiss director Milo Rau’s haunting tribute to Gisèle Pelicot, the survivor at the heart of a shocking mass rape trial that shook France. Through readings and raw testimony, the festival engages deeply with questions of justice, trauma and resistance.
We also dive into the vibrant energy of the Avignon OFF, the independent fringe festival that's now bigger than the official programme, where over a thousand theatre companies push boundaries, break conventions and reach new audiences on their own terms.
From street performances to stories that challenge social norms, Avignon 2025 is a theatre festival in full transformation and arts24 is there to take you behind the scenes.
The Avignon Festival runs until July 26, and Olivia Salazar-Winspear is recording a special programme for arts24 that you'll be able to watch next week.
English (US) · 