You are now on Place de la Calade, in front of the Théâtre de Nîmes Bernadette-Lafont. Its predecessor met an end worthy of an opera. The municipal theatre, opened in 1803 near the Maison Carrée, was adorned with ten stone columns bearing the word Théâtre. In 1952, an opera singer, Eva Closset, deliberately set it on fire: she wanted revenge because her stepson had been dropped from the chorus. The building was devastated. But the columns survived, and they travelled: in the 1980s, the Ionic colonnade was rebuilt at the Caissargues service area, on the A54 motorway between Nîmes and Arles. Today’s theatre bears the name of a local daughter: Bernadette Lafont, born in Nîmes on 28 October 1938. As a teenager, she took dance lessons at the town’s opera house, before becoming one of the muses of the French New Wave, from Les Mistons by François Truffaut to La Maman et la Putain. After her death, on 25 July 2013 in Nîmes, the town council decided unanimously to give her name to the theatre.
History
The municipal theatre of Nîmes, the work of the architect Meunier, was opened in 1803 near the Maison Carrée. A colonnade was added in 1827, and it was enlarged in 1837. A first fire, in 1860, was brought under control. Listed as a historic monument in 1949, it was devastated in 1952 by arson.
The Théâtre de Nîmes is now located on Place de la Calade. After Bernadette Lafont’s death in 2013, the town council voted unanimously for its new name: Théâtre de Nîmes Bernadette Lafont. The inauguration was planned for 25 October, with the screening of a short film by François Truffaut.
Art and architecture
The old theatre was neoclassical in style: its facade lined up ten stone columns supporting the entablature, with the word Théâtre carved on the frieze. In the 1980s, this Ionic colonnade and parts of the facade were moved to the Caissargues service area, on the A54 motorway, where they serve as a monumental decoration.
Anecdotes
The 1952 fire was started by the opera singer Eva Closset, who wanted revenge after her stepson was dropped from the chorus. Bernadette Lafont, born in Nîmes in 1938, took dance lessons at the town’s opera house when she was a schoolgirl. She received the César for Best Supporting Actress for L’Effrontée (1985).
What to look for
On Place de la Calade, spot the theatre entrance and its name. Then turn towards the Maison Carrée: the old municipal theatre stood in this area. If you take the A54 motorway towards Arles, stop at the Caissargues service area to see its columns.
Practical
The theatre is at 1 Place de la Calade, right in the centre. Box office, times, prices and accessibility information are published on theatredenimes.com. The theatre also has a second venue, the Odéon, at 7 Rue Pierre-Semard.
Nearby
The Maison Carrée and the Carré d’Art are close by. To learn more about Bernadette Lafont, watch Les Mistons (1957) or Le Beau Serge (1958), two films from her early career.
On site, look for: Look for Bernadette Lafont’s name on the square, then spot the nearby Maison Carrée.
Test yourself
Who set fire to the old theatre in 1952?
- A firefighter
- An actor
- An opera singer (answer)
Where are its columns today?
- At a motorway service area (answer)
- In the Arena
- In the Louvre
In which Truffaut film did Bernadette Lafont appear?
- Jules and Jim
- Les Mistons (answer)
- The 400 Blows
Sources
- Wikipedia: Municipal theatre (Nîmes)
- Wikipedia: Bernadette Lafont
- Objectif Gard: the Nîmes theatre renamed
- Théâtre de Nîmes
Information checked on 6 October 2026.