Opened in 1862, the Gaîté lyrique closed more than a century later in 1991. After many years of fame and glory this theatre had gradually fallen into decline. Today, it takes on a new life after six years of major work to restore it to its original splendour.
The renovation work was entrusted to French architect Manuelle Gautrand: “I was deeply touched and moved”, she comments, “by the discovery in 2005 of this totally disfigured then forgotten place. All that remained was an empty silence, a black hole in the middle of the city … and a building frozen in time for 14 years.”
The facade and the historic foyer have been restored and new spaces have been created: two modular rooms, the largest of which can host 750 people standing, a 130-seat auditorium, exhibition areas and production studios. Only one stairway connects the ground floor to the first floor, thus leaving a large open space for the public, artists and works.
From the gramophone to the iPod and from motion pictures to 3D, technological innovations are at the origin of successive revolutions and have always been precious tools for creation and for artists.
As well as presenting major technological changes, the Gaîté lyrique is also a platform for contemporary creation. It explores a new dimension created by the arts and technology and adopts a transversal approach to all areas of creation, by encouraging close connections between them. The centre encourages the public to discover art technologies. Open all year to the public, the Gaîté lyrique explores digital culture in all its forms: from music to graphic design, from video games to cinema, as well as theatre, dance, fashion, architecture and design.
