Festival in palace of the popes

The Avignon Festival is an opportunity to see groundbreaking theatre in a stunning setting, writes Tom Creed

FOR THE extraordinary beauty of its surroundings and the unparalleled quality of the performances, few arts festivals can match the Avignon Festival in Provence, which began last Wednesday and runs until July 27th.

The few days I spend in the summer sunshine in the heart of Provence, immersed in the work of some of my theatrical and choreographic heroes, are what I most look forward to as I travel from festival to festival looking for work for the Kilkenny Arts Festival theatre and dance programme.

The city is stunning all year, but during these few weeks, with the world’s greatest theatre and dance productions staged each night in the open air, it truly comes alive.

Performances are staged indoors in the afternoons and early evenings so that one avoids the hottest part of the day. Once darkness falls, the action moves to the many magnificent courtyards dotted around the city.

There are few theatrical experiences more stirring than sitting, as dusk turns to twilight, in the fantastically grandiose courtyard of the Pope’s Palace to watch extraordinary and often experimental performances by some of the world’s greatest theatre-makers.

Built in the 14th century by a schismatic group of cardinals who tried ousting the authority of Rome, the palace is like a fortress on a hill dominating the town.

This year, German star director Christoph Marthaler will create a unique, never-to-be-seen-again, site-specific performance for the courtyard, exploring the lives of the popes who lived there through a blend of music, movement and text.

There will be showcases of work by acclaimed Belgian choreographer Alain Platel and politically provocative German playwright Falk Richter. The event I'm most looking forward to is the world premiere of a new collaboration between French wünderkindGiselle Vienne and cult American novelist Dennis Cooper, whose phenomenal portrait of serial killer Jerk has created a sensation around the world and comes to Dublin in September as part of Absolut Fringe (see fringefest.com).

Like Edinburgh, the festival colonises every corner of the city; it is impossible for visitors not to know the festival is taking place. The main festival presents around 40 theatre and dance productions, with accompanying concerts and art installations, in spaces all over the city. Many of the shows sell out as soon as the box office opens in June, but returns are always available on the day for those willing to queue.

MUCH LIKE IN other festival cities, a bustling Fringe takes over every broom cupboard and street corner. The “Off” features over 1,000 young and established companies presenting plays, dance, music and comedy in more than 100 locations. The best hotels are booked out months in advance by theatre aficionados and international festival programmers, while students from all over the world camp outside the city walls and queue for returns for sold-out shows.

For years, Avignon existed for me only as a kind of mythical place: where Peter Brook presented his dusk to dawn staging of The Mahabharatain 1983, which went on to travel the globe; where the world first discovered Philip Glass and Robert Wilson's Einstein on the Beachin 1976, which changed the face of modern opera and theatre. I'll never forget the nights spent there last year watching cutting-edge flamenco in a quarry outside the city, and fending off a troupe of nude Canadian dancers who started their show by clambering into the audience.

For lovers of the arts and professionals alike, Provence in July is a trip not to be missed. As well as the theatrical riches served up in Avignon, the world-class Aix-en-Provence opera festival is only a short journey away by train or car.

The Rencontres d’Arles photographic festival brings the art world to Van Gogh’s hometown of Arles – and this year features the largest exhibition ever of photographs of Mick Jagger. If and when you reach the point of cultural overload, you can soak up the sunshine, dance on the famous Pont d’Avignon, visit the Chateuneuf de Pape vineyards and at the end of the day take a relaxing bath with products picked up at the l’Occitane factory – all within reach of the walls of this extraordinary city.

Tom Creed is a freelance theatre director based in Dublin and curator of the theatre and dance programme of the Kilkenny Arts Festival, which runs from August 6th-15th

Where to stay, where to eat and where to go in Avignon

Where to stay

Hostellerie Les Frênes, 645 Avenue des Vertes Rives, 0033-490-311-793, lesfrenes.com. Escape the bustle of the city at this family-run four-star hotel a 15-minute drive away in nearby Montfavet with swimming pool and delicious Provencal cuisine.

Hotel Cloitre Saint Louis, 20 rue du Portail Boquier, 0033-490-275-555, cloitre-saint-louis.com. This stunning four-star converted 16th-century monastery in the heart of the city is the festival hub.

Hotel du Parc, 18 rue agricol perdiguier, 0033-490-827-155, perso.modulonet.fr. Charming budget hotel in an 18th-century building in a fantastic location just off the main square.

Where to eat

La Civette, 26 Place de l’Horloge, 0033-490-865-584. Traditional bistro on the main square near the opera house and Palais des Papes, a favourite late-night hangout of festival artists like Peter Brook and the late Pina Bausch.

Christian Étienne, 10 Rue de Mons, 0033-490-861-650. Michelin-starred cuisine with menus often themed around a specific vegetable in a spectacular location next to the Palais des Papes

La Fourchette, 17 Rue Racine 0033-490-852-093. Uncomplicated Provencal food, eternally popular with locals, you need a reservation even for lunch!

Where to go

The Festival d’Avignon, 0033-490-141-460. The main event in July, with over 40 productions. Many shows sell out in advance, but tickets and other information are available on the website.

Palais des Papes. The historic centre of Avignon has been listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site, but this imposing structure is the historical and architectural must-see.

Pont Saint-Benezet. Made famous by the folk song, Sur le pont d’Avignon, this 12th-century structure crosses the Rhône and links the city with its sister town of Villeneuve-lès-Avignon.

Musée Angladon, 5 rue Laboureur, 0033-490-822-903 Van Gogh lived in nearby Arles, but this museum contains the only Van Gogh painting (Railway Cars, 1888) on display in the whole of Provence.

Get there

Aer Lingus (aerlingus.com) and Ryanair (ryanair.com) fly from Dublin to Marseilles. Flybe (flybe.com) has flights from a number of UK airports to Avignon