There are several hundred lively small theaters scattered around Paris and vicinity. Some of them disappear after a few years, but this one in the Marais district has been going strong since 1980, presenting “the great authors and their great works, classical or contemporary.”

The play I saw here was an absolute classic from the year 1784, Le Mariage de Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) by Pierre Augustin Caron De Beaumarchais (1732-1799), on which Mozart’s opera Le nozze di Figaro was based.

Spectators waiting at the entrance

It was an afternoon performance, and the audience consisted mostly of adolescents, with their teachers or youth-group leaders, and a few visiting adults like me.

Young spectators in the theater

The kids were extremely attentive and appreciative, I must say, and the highly professional acting company put on a fine production using minimal props and stage settings.

Applause at the end of the play

After the performance

After the performance the young spectators spilled out onto the street, talking animatedly about the play and even replaying some of the scenes among themselves.

Théâtre Espace Marais, 22 rue Beautreillis, 75004 Paris
https://www.theatreespacemarais-evenements.com/

My photos in this post are from 2007. I revised the text in 2018.

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