Festival Vis-à-vis #2

  • Highlights of creative work in prisons

10 11 12 DECEMBER 2025

The festival Vis-à-vis, a highlight of creative work in prisons, showcases collective creations in theater, dance, music, video, and podcasts. Unique in France and supported by the Théâtre Paris-Villette since 2016, it reveals the vitality of live performance as a space for openness and dialogue. From December 10 to 12 at La FabricA du Festival d'Avignon, Vis-à-vis offers a program born of demanding work and shared commitment, going beyond its social mission to affirm art in all its essentiality.

Festival Vis-à-vis #2 © Festival d'Avignon

Programme

While waiting for more information about the program, take advantage of a discounted 3-day pass today (€10.50 instead of €15). This pass gives you access to all performances at the Vis-à-Vis festival.

Buy a 3-day pass

WEDNESDAY 10 DECEMBER

Program details to be announced.

THURSDAY 11 DECEMBER

Program details to be announced.

FRIDAY 12 DECEMBER

Program details to be announced.

Food available on site.

In partnership with lthe Ministries of Culture and Justice, Direction Interrégionale des Services Pénitentiaires de Marseille, Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur and the Fondation Meyer
The festival is supported by the Théâtre Paris-Villette and produced for this edition by Festival d’Avignon
With the support of the AXA Foundation for Human Progress, Grand patron of La FabricA of the Festival d'Avignon

AXA Foundation for Human Progress reaffirm their commitment to the Festival d’Avignon and La FabricA as major patrons of this essential event in regional, national, and international cultural life, and of this exceptional place of creation.

Guided by our purpose, “Acting for human progress by protecting what matters,” AXA is dedicated to safeguarding the universal culture that unites us. This year, hundreds of thousands of spectators will gather around the Arabic language, the guest of honor at the 2025 edition of the Festival d’Avignon. Moreover, arts and culture are today, more than ever, powerful drivers of social inclusion. That is why we take pride in supporting La FabricA, an exceptional space for artistic creation.

By supporting artistic creation and innovation in Avignon, alongside our general agents and employees, we stand with Tiago Rodrigues and the invited artists to reaffirm our commitment to a more resilient and harmonious society, while also contributing to France’s cultural influence worldwide.

Clément Rouxel, General Delegate of the AXA Foundation for Human Progress

Go to the AXA website

What is Vis-à-vis?

Vis-à-vis is a project run by the prison service and supported by the Ministry of Culture, as part of a multi-year tripartite partnership agreement between the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Culture, and the Théâtre Paris-Villette. The aim is to offer prisoners the opportunity to take part in the creation of live performances, led by professional artists and companies.

The stated aim is to produce high-quality shows that can be presented to the general public.

This is a real challenge, both for the artists working in prisons and for the prisoners themselves, requiring a significant amount of work and commitment and pushing individuals out of their comfort zone.

It also allows prisoners to begin reconnecting with the outside world, regain self-confidence, acquire new skills, and thus have the best possible chance of preparing for release and facilitating their reintegration into society.

This project is fully in line with the missions of the prison administration. Activities that develop the social and professional skills of prisoners are a tool for preventing recidivism.

Vis-à-vis is part of the protocol that has bound the Ministries of Justice and Culture for nearly 40 years. A major lever for social inclusion, culture creates spaces for dialogue and encourages openness towards oneself and others. This protocol enables projects to be set up in all prisons throughout the country with the help of cultural institutions, artists, and associations, and with the support of the relevant state and local authorities.