Inspiration

Let’s bid a warm welcome to the upcoming theater festival in Annecy

Sep 2022

2.30 min.

Just a few days before the start of the “Coup de théâtre” festival, an event with professional theater performers that takes places every year throughout the cities and towns of the Greater Annecy Area, we sat down with Camille Lazime, Director of the non-profit “Agitateurs de rêves” (Activating dreams) that organizes and manages the event.

Created eleven years ago by the non-profit Agitateurs de rêves, initiated by then director Maud de Cointet, the festival has slowly but surely become an integral part of the cultural landscape here in Annecy.

Open to all, from genuine adepts to the simply curious, the festival strives to be an accessible, easy-to-enjoy, high-quality theater experience. Throughout the event, the streets of Annecy overflow with culture. The spirit of the event can be summed up in just a few words, “Culture everywhere for everyone.” And the performances during the week include twists on well-known classics, mainstream shows, and shows specifically for younger audiences. Even elementary school students will enjoy the festivities with performances geared towards them.

The event offers the chance to highlight the area’s heritage through encounters with local landmarks. Moving from one iconic location to the next, covered or outdoors, performances take place in the “Jardins de l’Europe” (European Gardens), the “Château d’Annecy” (Annecy’s Castle), the abandoned railway, Valombreuse, Vignière-Pommaries Park, Pierre Lamy Theater… and many more. One of the many unique aspects of this festival: no need to reserve your seat ahead of time, just show up a bit in advance and pay however much you feel is worthwhile.

The program includes classic, burlesque, vaudeville, musicals, and one-person shows. Put together by Anne Habermeyer, who trained at the Cours Florent school of theater and the Paris Conservatory, whose eclectic, open-minded approach focuses on everyone sharing a cultural experience together, one of the many values that Agitateurs de rêves and Sébastien Babel, the festival’s director, hold dear.

Some of the must-see classics at this year’s edition include Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew,” with Sarah Biasini, and “Viper in the Fist,” adapted from the novel written by Hervé Baazin. One more play worth mentioning is “J’ai Trop d’Amis” (I Have Too Many Friends), which won the 2022 Molière Award for the best show for young audiences.

The festival offers much more than plays on stage and theatrical performances. Once the curtains close the emotion and magic of the moment continue at neighborhood celebrations all over the city that present opportunities to chat with the performers and other members of the audience. There are other fun activities around the non-profit’s food truck affectionately named Simone!

Take advantage as well of all the CultuRêve activities organized by Agitateurs de rêves as part of a program to involve and expose as many as people as possible to the performing arts, with intergenerational performances and shows put on by school students, and practical workshops in the arts. In addition, sixty retirement home residents, ten seniors receiving homecare services by the organization Petit Fils, and fifty students from the Henri Wallon School for children with mental disabilities will perform together in a show on Friday, September 16. The festival also offers several talented youth the opportunity to shine: actors, dancers, circus performers, and directors. For some, the festival represents their debut performance.

And last but not least, we tip our hats to the 120 volunteers who provide their time, energy, and skills to set up the stages and props, to promote the event, to warmly welcome the general public, and to guide everyone with a friendly a smile. They are the glue that holds the festival together.

One final word from Camille Lazime: “Come share in the joy and excitement with us.”

From 10 to 18 September…

Festival Coup de théâtre

Les Agitateurs de rêves