Valère Novarina was a tireless explorer of language, a poet of words and an extraordinary creator whose work profoundly shaped the history of the Festival d’Avignon. From his first appearance in our programme with Le Drame de la vie in 1986 to Le Vivier des noms in 2015, his work became a major point of reference for generations of audiences.
With productions such as Vous qui habitez le temps, L’Origine rouge and L’Acte inconnu, created in the Cour d’honneur du palais des Papes, Novarina consistently made theatre a site of linguistic and physical adventure. His work did not merely represent stories: it released words as living matter, poised between comedy, mystery and poetic force.
Valère Novarina transformed our relationship to voice, language and dramatic space. He opened up new paths, where speech becomes landscape and where words, in their eruption, invite us to think, to feel and to reinvent the world. His conviction that theatre is an experience of language will remain a lasting source of inspiration for all.
The Festival d’Avignon extends its sincerest thoughts to his family, his loved ones, the artists and companies who shared his work, and to all those who were touched by his singular voice. His legacy remains alive in every word, every breath and every silence.
