The Festival d'Avignon has wrapped up and, honestly, we're definitely feeling like there's a void in our daily lives. From July 4 to 25, 2026, this exceptional event's 80th edition got theater lovers and professionals all excited — and we really wish it had lasted a bit longer! Fortunately, come fall, life will be back in the theater spotlight thanks to the Avignon revivals. Here's the concept: some of the plays performed during the festival are coming back on stages in France and abroad, and we couldn't be happier. And speaking of which, we've put together a carefully curated selection that's sure to captivate you!
© Christophe Raynaud de Lage / Festival d'Avignon
Celebrating the genius of Tiago Rodrigues
Get ready, because there are some truly brilliant gems waiting to be discovered at these Avignon revivals. Among them, Catarina and the Beauty of Killing Fascists by Tiago Rodrigues, which will play at London's National Theatre from September 19-26, 2026, then in Lille from March 9-12, 2027, before a quick stop in Los Angeles in February 2027. Killing a fascist is a rite of passage in Catarina's family and it's her turn. As the entire family gathers in southern Portugal, Catarina refuses to commit the murderous act, sparking a real family conflict. In his own way, Tiago Rodrigues questions what fascism and democracy mean today.
© Christophe Raynaud de Lage / Festival d'Avignon
The play The Distance, by the same playwright, will also make its grand return, stopping in Lisbon, Lyon, New York, London, Saint-Denis (Réunion), as well as Saint-Ouen and Cergy-Pontoise in January 2027. This one plunges us into the future, in 2077. Part of the population has gone to live on Mars while those who remained on Earth must face climate upheavals and precariousness. In the midst of this chaos, a father struggles to maintain a bond with his daughter who has left for the other planet. A poignant play, more relevant than ever, that questions our choices and evokes the transmission from one generation to the next.
The Avignon Festival Goes International
CertainThe pieces presented at the Avignon Festival have international reach. The Seoul Performing Arts Festival will host some of them, including the moving reading-performance ofBird, the first chapter of Han Kang's novel Impossible Goodbyes. It features Julie Deliquet, Isabelle Huppert and Hyeyoung Lee. There will also be Reminiscencia through which Malicho Vaca Valenzuela tells the story of his neighborhood, in the heart of Chile's capital — a vibrant and colorful place, yet also marked by many political demonstrations.
© Christophe Raynaud de Lage / Avignon Festival
Several plays performed in the capital and in the Île-de-France region
The capital won't be left out and will have the honor of presenting Casting Lear by Andrea Jiménez at the Théâtre des Abbesses from September 10 to 18. This reinvention of Shakespeare's play blurs the lines between fiction and reality and explores forgiveness within the context of a relationship with an abusive parent.
© Christophe Raynaud de Lage / Festival d'Avignon
Silence will also be featured at the Fall Festival, at the Théâtre de la Cité Internationale, at the Maison des Arts de Créteil, at Centquatre, and at the Théâtre Sénart in Lieusaint. This choreographic concert blends the talents of Lucie Antunes and Mathilde Monnier to explore the body and its altered states of consciousness. A rhythmic and captivating performance. So, are you tempted?
