Hemmed in between housing units and the courtyard of a building, the theatre stands on the site of a former cinema in the city centre. It fills the entire plot and adopts a simple volume that respects the height levels of the neighbouring constructions. The programme attaches great importance to the public area, which must be in direct contact with the urban space. The theatre therefore features a large glass façade that opens onto the street. This façade is criss-crossed by the staircase directly behind it, which gives access to all floors, from the foyer at ground level to the artist’s lobby and the terrace on the roof, as does the glass lift. A stainless steel mesh suspended on the façade serves as a filter.
From the gently sloping square in front, the theatre is accessed directly through the foyer, which groups together the reception, the ticket office and the bar. The entrance hall and the foyer are slightly indented in relation to the street, thus asserting the desired interior/exterior continuity.
The theatre has a capacity of 464 seats and is slightly dissymmetrical in order to make maximum use of the width of the plot: the arched tiers ensure an optimal relation between the stage and the auditorium. The stage (13.30m x 13.20m) is supplemented by a backstage 3.4-meters deep and is equipped with a grid (13.5m high), fly bars, and a below-stage area.
The large open space of the double-height rehearsal room is located above the theatre auditorium and communicates with the artists’ lobby installed on the top level. This lobby is extensively glazed to offer a panoramic view over the city. The dressing rooms, technicians quarters and offices are arranged in the cantilever volume on the north side that overlooks the adjoining courtyard, where the backstage technical access is located. This volume is treated with a very opaque façade and zinc cladding, dotted with regular openings and surmounted by the stage house box.