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The Théâtre Jean Deschamps can be seen outside of the Cité Festival show times during the guided visits of the ramparts which depart from the Castle.

History

During a Town Council meeting held on 3rd June 1908, Dr. Jean Sempé, Senior Mayoral Assistant and member of the Société des Arts et Sciences, put forward the idea of creating an open-air auditorium in the walled town:

"An admirable décor that is eminently suitable for this type of entertainment. We are convinced that a tragedy performed in this setting would be likely to produce a grandiose effect and attract a large number of people to Carcassonne. This would, from a practical point of view, constitute a considerable source of profit for the town's tradespeople." The open-air theatre in the walled town, the forerunner of today's festivals, was born. The ideal spot did indeed exist – the site of the old cloister next to St. Nazarius' Basilica. During the 1209 siege, it was partly demolished in order to consolidate the fortifications. It was then abandoned and, finally, razed to the ground in 1792. Brambles were torn up and a makeshift theatre began to take shape. The stage backed onto the Mipadre Tower. Opposite it, a simple fan-shaped platform was erected, without any tiers. Chairs and benches were set out to accommodate an audience of some 5,000.

A performance was scheduled for 26th July 1908. The tragedy selected for performance to the people of Carcassonne was Henri de Bornier's La Fille de Rolland. It was to be performed by actors from the Comédie Française. A huge crowd crossed the bridges over the River Aude and, like an army, swarmed into the walled town, rushing like a gigantic wave to the theatre which was quickly submerged. The chairs were taken by storm, not without some pushing and shoving. The beginning of the tragedy was disturbed by protests from members of the audience who could not see the stage from their seats. This was followed by a major upheaval as the disgruntled spectators moved to higher areas such as staircases, the parapet walkways and the battlements. Encouraged by this success, the organisers set about revising the theatre layout so that all the spectators could see the stage from their seats.

In 1909, the project was entrusted to architect Léon Vassas who, a short time later, presented the plans of the new theatre. The stage backed onto the South Tower (tour du Midi) and tiers of seats formed a vast semi-circle right up against the walls of the basilica, from the Mipadre Tower to the St. Nazarius Tower. On 8th April 1909, after visiting Carcassonne, the Undersecretary of State for Fine Arts, Mr. Dujardin-Beaumetz, issued permission for the construction of the theatre in accordance with the plans supplied by architect Léon Vassas. The "antique" theatre was designed to cater for tragedy, opera and lyric drama. On 25th July 1909, a large audience attended a grand performance of Victor Hugo's Burgraves starring Mr. Monnet-Sully and Madame Lucie Brille. The Great War put a momentary end to performances. The walled town's Bi-Millennium Festival, which took place from 15th to 29th July 1928 in the presence of Gaston Doumergue, President of the Republic, provided an opportunity to stage a diverse programme of events for visitors and local people alike. There was theatre, ballet, poetry, exhibitions, fairs, dances, floodlighting, and fireworks over the walled town. Finally, a film was shot called Le Tournoi de la Cité, directed by Jean Renoir and including the Cadre Noir de Saumur, the army's prestigious cavalry team.

In those days, only two or three plays were staged per year. The Second World War again interrupted the activities of the Théâtre Antique but performances began again after the end of hostilities, under various artistic directors.

Jean Deschamps' appointment in 1957 led to the founding of the famous Cité's Festival. During the next few years, numerous performances were given in these unique surroundings e.g. tragedies, comedies and major lyric works. The theatre underwent alteration in 1929 and 1972. Every year, during the month of July, increasing numbers of increasingly knowledgeable people attend and enjoy a Festival which is gaining an ever-wider reputation for excellence.

In homage to Jean Deschamps, on 15 July 2006 the Grand Théâtre de la Cité was renamed the Théâtre Jean Deschamps.

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