Le Ciel de Nantes

This is the story and destiny of a French family spanning three generations, from the aftermath of the Allied bombing over Nantes in 1943 to the present day. And this story is told like a film in a cinema that seems abandoned. There is Granny Kiki and some of her ten children. There is also Father Puig, who has been banished for years. They are all gathered together because one of their grandchildren, the one who makes films, has something to tell them.

In ‘Le Ciel de Nantes’, Christophe Honoré combines theatre and cinema to give a unique, sensitive and tender form to the family story and to what is passed on without being understood. What remains of the past we share? What can we inherit when there is nothing left but destroyed lives? How can we save ourselves without feeling like we are betraying our own?

Created in March 2021

Time: 2h15

Age: 15+

Written and directed by Christophe Honoré

Set design Mathieu Lorry-Dupuy

Costumes Pascaline Chavanne

Video Baptiste Klein

Lighting Dominique Bruguière

Sound Janyves Coïc

Assistant director Christèle Ortu

Assistant lighting designer Pierre Gaillardot

Assistant costume designer Oriol Nogues

Assistant director intern Victor Lalmanach

Set construction Ateliers de Vidy Lausanne

With Youssouf Abi Ayad, Harrisson Arevalo, Jean-Charles Clichet, Julien Honoré, Chiara Mastroianni, Marlène Saldana and Stéphane Roger

Produced by Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne and Comité dans Paris (Christophe Honoré’s company)

Co-production by Odéon, Théâtre de l’Europe – des Célestins, Théâtre de Lyon – de la Comédie, Centre dramatique national de Reims – de TANDEM, Scène nationale – Le Grand T, théâtre de Loire-Atlantique – La Filature, Scène Nationale, Mulhouse – de Bonlieu, Scène Nationale Annecy – TAP, Théâtre et Auditorium de Poitiers – de La Coursive, Scène Nationale de La Rochelle – de la Scène nationale d’Albi – du Théâtre National de Bretagne – Rennes

Special thanks to the Puig family, Alex Beaupain, Benjamin Biolay, Pierre Deladonchamps, Anaïs Demoustier, Aurélien Deniel, Marina Foïs, Vincent Lacoste and Ludivine Sagnier.

This show is supported by the PEPS project as part of the European Interreg V France-Switzerland territorial cooperation programme.

The Comité dans Paris company is accredited by DRAC Ile-de-France – Ministry of Culture (2020-2022).

Creation of the Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne.

The creation has been postponed until autumn 2021, at Les Célestins, Théâtre de Lyon. The show will tour throughout the 2021-2022 season, including at the Théâtre de l’Odéon (Paris) in March 2022.