The Théâtre National de Bretagne (TNB) is a cultural institution in Rennes, created in 1990. It brings together, under a mixed-economy company, the Comédie de l’Ouest, created in 1949, and the Maison de la Culture de Rennes, opened in 1968. Located at 1 rue Saint Hélier, it serves as a national dramatic center with missions centered on creation, dissemination, and training, at both regional and national levels. Since 2002, it has also held the status of European center of theatrical and choreographic production.
The TNB is a public space that includes performance halls, a cinema, and a bar-restaurant. It has also operated an acting school since 1991. Each November, it organizes the Festival TNB, which continues the legacy of Mettre en scène. The Maison de la Culture building was built in 1968 on the site of the former Maison centrale des femmes de Rennes, later a military prison. After three years of renovation, the building reopened with three theater rooms and two cinema rooms.
Nearby Objects
-
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rennes 250 m away -
Le Liberté 350 m away -
Esplanade Charles-de-Gaulle 350 m away -
Museum of Brittany 350 m away -
Place Saint-Germain 400 m away
Institution and Cultural Role
The Theatre National de Bretagne (TNB) is a cultural institution in Rennes created in 1990. It brings together, under a mixed economy company, the Comedie de l'Ouest, created in 1949, and the Maison de la Culture de Rennes, which opened in 1968. It functions as a national dramatic center with missions focused on creation, dissemination, and training, and it works at both regional and national levels. In 2002, it gained the status of a European center of theatrical and choreographic production.
The TNB is located at 1 rue Saint Helier in Rennes. It is a public space that includes performance halls, a cinema, and a bar-restaurant. Since 1991, it has also housed an acting school, reinforcing its training role.
The institution organizes the Festival TNB every November, continuing the legacy of Mettre en scene. It was directed by Arthur Nauzyciel, and Chloe Dabert has been appointed director and will succeed him.
Construction and Renovation History
The Maison de la Culture building in Rennes was built in 1968 by Architecture, in collaboration with Jacques Carlu, Michel Joly, and Patrick Coue. It was constructed on the site of the Maison centrale des femmes de Rennes, which later became a military prison. Architecture noted that Alfred Dreyfus was held in this prison during his second trial in 1899. In 1997, Jean-Claude Motte created and installed stainless steel signage for the building. Architecture later managed the reopening of the building after three years of renovation and entrusted architect Antoine Stinco with the renovation works.
Interior Spaces and Cultural Uses
After the renovation, the Theatre National de Bretagne includes three theater rooms and two cinema rooms. The largest theater space is the Jean Vilar room, with 930 seats, while the Jean-Marie Serreau room has 310 seats. The Guy Parigot room, located in the basement, has 100 seats; it was previously used for theater rehearsals by young actors from the TNB theater school and is now used as a performance hall. Two cinema rooms are located on the third floor and are dedicated to art and experimental cinema. The larger cinema room has 403 seats and the smaller one has 92. On the first floor, the building also includes a bar restaurant, formerly named l'entracte, which can accommodate up to 250 people.
From Touring Troupe to National Drama Center
The origins of the institution trace back to 1940, when Georges Goubert and Guy Parigot founded the troupe des Jeunes comediens. In 1948, the troupe won first prize at the Concours des jeunes compagnies, and it also toured Brittany while preparing a report on theatre in the region. Hubert Gignoux later proposed to Jeanne Laurent that Historique should become a national dramatic center, or CDN. The project received support from the Ministry of National Education, which granted 8 million Francs, along with 2 million Francs from the city of Rennes. As a result, the Centre dramatique de l'Ouest was created as the fourth CDN, after the Centre dramatique de l'Est, the Comedie de Saint-Etienne, and the Grenier de Toulouse. It was inaugurated with Un chapeau de paille d'Italie by Labiche. Hubert Gignoux directed Historique until 1957, after which Georges Goubert and Guy Parigot took over as co-directors, during which time the name changed to Comedie de l'Ouest.
From Maison de la Culture to Theatre National de Bretagne
The Theatre National de Bretagne was formed in 1990 through the merger of the Maison de la Culture and the Centre dramatique. The Maison de la Culture de Rennes had been created in 1968 and, for a period, shared leadership with Historique. Between 1974 and 1980, Chérif Khaznadar directed the institution and developed theatrical actions. Over time, the Maison de la Culture increased its events and financial charges, which led to a bankruptcy filing. Pierre Debauche later left GRAND HUIT with a record deficit of 2.3 million francs, and the organization experienced many layoffs and a six-month closure before ending its operation. After the Maison de la Culture association was dissolved, only the SARL Centre Dramatique National remained. This company was renamed Theatre National de Bretagne, and Emmanuel de Vercourt was appointed director. The institution is not an official national theatre, even though its name suggests otherwise; only six theatres are national theatres, including the Theatre National de Strasbourg in the provinces.
Management and Funding
The Theatre National de Bretagne is operated by Gestion with an annual budget of 11 million euros. Its funding is divided between several sources: 3.1 million euros from the State, 2.9 million euros from the city of Rennes, and 3 million euros from own revenues. In 2005, the theatre hosted spectators with 10,000 subscribers, and its audience had an average age of 26 years. A 2016 report by the CRC stated that Gestion's management of the Theatre National de Bretagne had improved in quality. Despite CRC recommendations, the theatre retained its Societe d'economie mixte status, as the shareholders decided not to change it and did not adopt the EPCC status suggested by the CRC.